Meeting Under Different Circumstances
by JessieWills
Summary: What if Kate and Rick hadn't first met when they did? What if they'd met when Kate had started out as a Detective and was undercover? How would their relationship change?
1. Chapter 1

**This is set before series one and Kate, who has just become a detective, is working undercover in a strip club when a newly single high flying best seller murder mystery novelist walks in (any guesses for who that is!). Anyway what happens when our favourite couple don't meet the way we planned! **

She was young and very attractive. That's what her boss had said when they'd asked her to do the job. She would fit in better than any of the other more experienced female detectives and she was just starting so it was her turn to prove herself. So that was why she was standing back stage waiting to do the last job she'd ever imagined finding herself doing. Kate Beckett was not the sort of person to show her body off to hundreds of men. She was very reserved when it came to undressing in front of her boyfriends, people who she found attractive and were close to and doing that act in front of a room full of desperate men terrified her in a way she'd never admit to anyone. Hearing her name being called, she sighed as she slowly forced a smile onto her face and walked onto the stage, dressed in a very minimal cop outfit. Knowing her male colleagues who were clearly seated in the audience would love what she was wearing and would never let her forget it. Slowly her music started and she began to dance, the way she'd been forced to learn. Her hands slipping to her costume, revealing more of her skin. The sound of wolf whistles and cheers echoing around the dimly lit room.

Entering the club, he'd begun to spend more time in since the end of his marriage to publisher Gina; he found his normal seat empty and headed towards it. Seating himself down, he sighed as he watched the woman walk onto the stage, his eyes being directly glued onto her. Dark haired, long legged, dressed in a cop's uniform, he had a thing for cops, after basing his life's work on murder mysteries. He'd seen many strippers before but none as beautiful as her. It was strange to see a woman as stunning as her working in a club like the one they were in now. Watching her shed herself out of the black tight cop dress, he smiled at the woman dressed only in her underwear. Flat stomach, long muscular legs, decent sized breasts, she was the perfect woman! At least that's what he saw as the perfect woman. Watching her continue to dance, he smiled as she looked towards him; shock covering her face as her song slowly came to an end. Shattering his brain as he realised she would be leaving the stage shortly and he would lose the one woman who had completely captivated his mind in only a matter of seconds. Watching her disappear off the stage and be replaced by a large chested blonde that gave him no interest, he sighed as he took a sip of the drink the waitress had brought over only a matter of seconds ago. His mind only thinking about the young brunette who had managed to enchant him with one dance.

**I know this bit is short but they'll be a longer chapter later, I promise! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews; I honestly have no idea where this is going so I'm just letting my imagination loose. I also would like to apologize in advance if Kate and Rick are out of character; I'm still exploring them and learning how to write them. Anyway thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

Slipping out of the small dressing room, now dressed comfortably in more clothes than before, she smiled as she looked across the room. The man she was supposed to be watching had left and so had the rest of the team, indicating it was alright for her to go home. Sighing, she slowly slipped towards the bar, allowing herself to sit down and relax for the first time since she'd arrived, ordering herself a drink quickly before turning her attention to her phone in check of any messages. Hearing the chair next to her being pulled up; she looked up from her phone and stared at the man next to her, a smile covering his face as he watched her.

"Hi" he whispered, the smile on her face growing as she realised who he was. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"No thanks, already have one" she mumbled, quickly indicating to the drink that was now resting in front of her. "Your Richard Castle" she blurted out quickly causing him to laugh as her cheeks quickly burnt red from her childish behaviour. "Sorry that's embarrassing".

"No it's fine, none of the girls in here know me that's why I come down here, I'm quite surprised you know me actually" he laughed as she sighed and allowed herself to take a sip of her drink, hoping the cold substance would warm her body down. "So where have you seen me then?" he asked.

"I've read all your books actually" she quickly commented, his eyebrows rising in amusement. "What?" she asked .quickly after noticing his reaction.

"It's just I don't know many strippers who read anything other than magazines, is that really bad?" he asked causing her to shrug before smiling down at her drink. "You're stunning you know that right" he blurted out causing her to look at him in shock.

"Umm, thanks" she whispered before finishing the rest of her drink and sighing. Richard Castle thought she was stunning although he'd seen her stripped down to her underwear without even knowing her. He didn't even know her. He was talking to Katie the stripper not Kate the homicide detective, a small sigh leaving her as she realised he wasn't interested in the real her. "I better go" she whispered as he groaned.

"Come on one more drink, live a little" he whispered as she smiled and nodded, watching as he flagged the barman down again.

XOXOXOXO

"Wow I never expected that" she laughed as she stared down at her fourth drink, a smile covering both their faces as they continued to laugh. "God I haven't laughed like this in ages" she sighed as she rested back against the seat, her eyes shutting for a moment.

"Really? Your life must be really boring then if you don't laugh like that often, me and my daughter laugh like that practically every day" he declared causing her to shrug as she finished her drink and sighed.

"Tell me about her" she whispered as he stared at her. "Tell me about your daughter".

"You actually want to know, now that really is first" he declared in shock as she smiled at him. "Her names Alexis, she's extremely clever unfortunately so I look even more stupid in front of her" he laughed as Kate smiled. "She's the most kind hearted person I know and she couldn't hurt a fly also she keeps me in line when I'm acting like a child" he whispered, his thoughts lingering on the daughter he loved so much. "I brought her up on my own so I'm overly protective of her but I wouldn't have had it any other way".

"You sound like a great dad" she whispered as he smiled at her. "And she sounds great as well" she added while watching him dig through his wallet to pull a picture out before passing it to her.

"That's Alexis and Martha, my mother" he laughed as Kate stared down at the photo of his family, a smile creeping onto her face as she saw the two people smiling up at her. "Complete drama queen my mother" he added. "What about you?"

"Me?" she asked.

"Family" he whispered causing her to sigh as she stared at him.

"It's just me and my dad, we're not very close either" she whispered, thinking about the father she'd left behind in her desperation to be a cop. Her mind then thinking of the mother so cruelly taken from her without even giving her the chance to say goodbye. Feeling something touch her hand, she looked down to see his holding onto hers across the table, a sincere smile covering his face as he looked at her.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled as she sighed and nodded, appreciating his concern. "I don't even know who my dad is" he whispered as she stared at him. "But it doesn't matter because I didn't really need one, I was happy growing up the way I did".

"That's good then" she whispered as he smiled at her. Sighing, she looked at the time on her phone and groaned. "I've got to get going, I've got an early start in the morning".

"Why? The club doesn't open till nine at night" he stated, reminding her she was Katie the stripper. "At least let me walk you home or something, I don't like the idea of a beautiful woman walking home alone". Smiling, she slowly nodded, shocking herself that she was agreeing to something she'd never done before. She'd never allowed a man she didn't know well to walk her home but the chance was too great to miss. He fascinated her and if letting him walk her home meant she got to find some more out about him she wasn't going to miss it for anyone.

XOXOXOXO

"Well this is me" she mumbled as they stopped outside the apartment block, the smiles creeping away from both their faces. "Thanks for walking me home".

"Yeah, well I guess I'll see you around" he whispered as he slowly moved away. Without thinking, she quickly grabbed his hand and stared at him, their eyes meeting quickly before she walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing her lips to press against his. The mix of alcohol and the fact he was her favourite author causing her to act in a way she'd never done before. Moving away slowly, she looked up at him to see him smiling. "I…wow" he whispered before she rolled her eyes and kissed him again, not wanting to move away to let the evening end.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again another short one but I promise the next one will be a lot longer. I just wanted a short one to capture their feelings at the moment and to just be short and sweet. I hope you enjoy it and review. **

Opening her eyes, she groaned as she realised it was still dark outside and it probably wasn't even close to the time she woke up at. Slowly, she allowed herself to smile as she looked at the man lying beside her fast asleep, his naked body just covered by her blankets, his arm wrapped around her, holding her close to him. She'd never had a one night stand. She'd never planned on having one. They weren't her sort of thing but she wanted a taste of danger, a teaser of passion from the man who wrote the books she so madly adored. Sighing slowly, she shut her eyes and allowed herself to relax in his arms again.

Sighing, he slowly opened his arms to see her fast asleep in his arms, the room dark and yet he was still able to be captivated by her beauty. She was stunning and one of the most beautiful women he ever met which shocked him when he thought of her as a stripper. She'd read his books and wanted to know about his family, many women didn't. That's what made it special and made him want her more last night than he'd wanted any woman in the past. Groaning as he heard her phone ring, he felt her move in his arms and watched as she sat up, holding the sheets up around her chest.

"Beckett" she mumbled into the phone. "Okay I'll be there in twenty" she whispered before putting the phone down and turning around to look at him, smiling when she saw him awake. "I've got to go" she whispered before leaning down and kissing him. Sitting up once she'd moved away, he sighed as he watched her wrap the blanket completely around her and walk towards her wardrobe.

"Where are you going?" he asked his fascination growing as he took out a smart outfit not normally owned by someone in the business she was in. Turning to answer, she stopped before the words slipped out of her mouth, she couldn't tell him. To him she was a stripper.

"Family problems" she lied as he nodded and grabbed his boxers off the floor, beginning to get dressed himself. "Last night was amazing" she mumbled as he nodded and smiled.

"Defiantly" he nodded in agreement as she smiled at him and sighed. "Will I see you again?" he asked as she bit her lip and turned away. He wanted to see her again. She hadn't thought about that.

"I should be at the club again tonight" she whispered as he smiled and walked over, now dressed in his jeans and pulling his shirt on. "If you want to see me again" she whispered.

"How could I not want to" he laughed before kissing her again and walking towards the door. "I'll see you tonight then" he whispered as she sighed, watching him leave as a smile crept onto her face. Richard Castle wanted to see her again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Two Months Later… **

Lying there, she sighed as he kissed her neck gently enjoying the touch of his lips on her skin once more. They'd spent the past two months lying in bed, having sex every evening when they met at the club, and often ending up laughing about one thing or another. They ranted to each other about their days and comforted each other when stressed, normally ending up in them having sex again. She was still Kate the stripper to him but it didn't matter, nothing seemed to matter to her when she was with him. He was her break away from reality, the person she used to escape from the hard things she saw everyday with her job. Richard Castle was her freedom.

"You're thinking" he whispered as he propped his head up with his hand and stared down at her, a smile creeping onto her face as she sighed and looked at him. She didn't know how to say it. She didn't know how to admit that was the last time they'd ever touch each other again. That she would no longer be there in his life and he would longer be there in hers. "Tell me".

"I left the club tonight, I no longer work there" she whispered as he continued to stare at her. "This is the last time we're going to see each other Rick" she mumbled as he moved closer to her, running his fingers down her side slowly.

"We could make the effort, we don't have to end this because you're not working there anymore, we could keep this going, try a little harder to make it work" he insisted as she shook her head slowly before sighing and turning around to look at him as he lay himself down on the bed and shut his eyes, trying to make the idea of leaving her go away.

"What? So I can continue to be your bit on the side when you need someone to settle an urge" she asked. "Rick, I never meant for it to go this far, I never even meant to sleep with you in the first place and it's been fun and enjoyable and it's been nice but we can't carry on with this forever, we have to get on with our lives" she mumbled, desperately wishing that he'd leave it and that they could enjoy each other's company for one last night. "I'm not joking when I say I've really enjoyed this Rick but it's time to move on before it goes any further".

"So I'm not going to see you again Kate" he whispered as she slowly shook her head, a smile sigh leaving her lips as she sat up, holding the sheet against her chest to cover herself like she always did. "Two months of amazing practically every night and it's over just like that" he moaned as she sighed, hating her job for taking him away from her. She didn't love him, she wasn't the sort of woman to fall for a man just like that but she liked his company, she liked how he treated her and how he made her laugh. She just liked being with him and it hurt to think of it ending.

"Rick it really has been great but I can't keep this going, not anymore" she mumbled before turning to look at him. "We don't fit Rick, you're an amazing best seller author and I'm just Kate" she whispered, not wanting to use the word stripper in argument she desperately wanted to win. Lying down beside him, she slowly reached over and touched his cheek gently. "And don't think about coming back here Rick, if you do then they'll be trouble" she whispered before leaning forward and kissing him gently. "Just move on".

"What about if I don't want to?" he asked as she sighed.

"Rick I'm just a stripper who let you have sex with her, that's all I am to you" she mumbled, desperately wanting to make it seem less than it actually was. "You'll find someone else in a short skirt and you'll be in someone else's bed before you know it, that's who you are".

"What makes you think that? Have I ever acted like that around you Kate?" he asked.

"Rick I met you in a strip club, that's enough said" she whispered before sighing and turning around so her back was facing him. "Go to sleep, I have to leave early in the morning and you know how it works" she mumbled before shutting her eyes, knowing she was being harsh but sometimes it was the nicest way to go.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm not completely sure on this chapter but I've got it somewhere half decent compared to some of the other things I was writing for this. I didn't watch the start of series one so I'm not an expert on the events so sorry if it's not completely accurate. Thank you for the reviews and I hope you continued to enjoy. **

**A Few Years Later **

Entering the club, she sighed as she saw him sat in the corner of the club, chatting away to a younger woman who she guessed was his daughter. Walking over, she said his name trying to stop herself from sounding weak as the words Richard Castle slipped out of her lips and he turned, holding his pen up while making a quick comment before he stared at her in silence as she introduced herself, clutching onto her badge as security. She was Detective Kate Beckett and she had to make it clear. The shock covering his face as Alexis slipped the pen from his hand and sat herself back down, watching her father stand in complete silence before being led out of the building by the detective. Sitting himself in her car, he watched her climb in and sigh before putting her hands on the steering wheel.

"You're a detective" he whispered in shock as she nodded slowly. "But you were a stripper; four years ago you were a stripper, we met in a strip club and you were a stripper" he continued to mumble as he tried to work out how on earth the woman who'd been on his mind for years had become a cop. "How can you be a detective?" he asked as she turned to look at him and quickly shook her head.

"Can we discuss this later please? For example when you're not being questioned in relation to a chain of murders related to your books" she asked as he sighed and nodded, knowing he couldn't disagree with her right now. She was the detective.

"Don't think you can get yourself out of this Kate, we're going to discuss this later" he commented as she sighed and nodded, knowing she'd have to explain everything to him at some point however much she didn't want to .

XOXOXO

His questioning went quickly although he teased and made remarks that threatened to make her blush. As he slowly left the room, she sighed before hearing the door open slowly to see him reappearing.

"What do you want now?" she asked quickly as he sighed and closed the door, leaning against it as she stared at him in frustration. She wanted to get on with her job; she wanted him to disappear so she could get back on with her life. She didn't want someone she'd spent two months sleeping with just appearing back in the picture and making things difficult. "I've got a killer to catch" she quickly commented, knowing there was no hope of leaving her without discussing everything.

"And we have sex to talk about Kate" he responded slowly, a groan slipping from her lips as she pulled out her chair once more and sat on it. "We had sex for two months and you were a stripper, I watched you strip for a living Kate" he declared as she shook her head quickly. "I know what I saw Kate, however good my imagination is, it most defiantly did not make you up".

"You saw a detective undercover Rick, that's all it was" she muttered simply, knowing most likely that Ryan and Esposito would be watching. "I was young and single, while you were and are this famous author who was interested in me at the time; we had some fun together that's all it was Rick".

"No it was more than that Kate, having sex together nearly every night for two months is not just fun" he insisted as she sighed, watching him sit down opposite her and cross his arms. "It was a lot more than that and you know it".

"What do you want me to say Rick? That I was in love with you? Because I wasn't, you were just someone I had sex with to release some of the bottled up feelings I had, I was single and just needed someone to…" she began as she saw the hurt look on his face and went silent. "We were just friends with benefits Rick, that's all" she muttered before smiling at him. "How's Alexis?" she asked quickly as the room began to fall into silence, a smile appearing on his face as he remembered his teenage daughter.

"Clever, intelligent, beautiful" he muttered as Kate smiled, remembering the younger woman she'd seen with him when she went to get him for questioning. "She was with me earlier" he commented, a small nod indicating she knew who he was talking about. "She's actually probably wondering about what's going on, I should call her, tell her that I'm not in trouble like normal" he laughed, a smile covering her face quickly as she saw the nervous father appear again. They'd had times where he'd sat at the end of her bed and mumbled about the worries of Alexis and boys and how he was nervous about whether they would try to take advantage of her. They'd shared moments where he'd laughed about how amazing his daughter's grades were and that he was sure that sometimes she'd been given to them by mistake at the hospital and was actually the child of some genius somewhere. After two months of hearing him comment about his daughter, Kate Beckett felt like she knew the young woman herself.

"No you should go home" she announced simply before sighing. "But we could do with your help tomorrow on the case" she added as he smiled and nodded quickly.

"As long as you're comfortable with that" he muttered simply before she slowly smiled and nodded allowing him to relax. "Any chance you could give me a lift home? I've not got my car" he announced as she groaned. "I promise I won't try anything".

"Fine, but I'm only giving you a lift home, I'm not coming in actually I won't even leave the car" she explained, setting herself the rules she needed before she agreed completely to go with him. She couldn't risk doing anything that would make her lose control again.


	6. Chapter 6

"I always knew you were different to the rest of them, there was always something that made you not seem like a stripper" he explained as she drove in silence, staring out of the window to stop herself from looking at him. "I just wish you could have told me Kate, I thought you trusted me".

"I did trust you Rick, I just couldn't risk it" she sighed as she pulled in a parking space and stared at him. "I had so many people watching me, I couldn't do anything wrong otherwise it was goodbye to my job Rick" she admitted as he raised his eyebrows and watched her. "None of them liked me that much Rick and that's why they stuck me on that job because they wanted me to fail, Rick you've got to understand I couldn't fail that because my job was, is everything" she sighed, looking down at the steering wheel in front of her.

"I understand" he sighed as she smiled slowly. "Look I better go, Alexis will be waiting" he declared, turning to see the rain getting worse. "You can still come up if you want" he muttered before she quickly shook her head and turned to look at him. To actually look at him. He hadn't changed much. He was still the attractive man who she'd allowed into her life all those years ago, he'd aged but it had done great things for him and just looking at him made her heart skip a beat like it had done when she was younger. "So I'll see you tomorrow".

"Tomorrow?" she asked quickly.

"Precinct, murderer copying my book" he hinted as she nodded quickly and laughed, her cheeks burning red as she watched him open the door and climb out of her car. Sitting there in silence for a moment, she groaned before climbing out of it herself and running over to where he was walking it. "Did I forget something?" he asked as she stared at him and quickly nodded.

"Yes you did" she announced quickly before pressing her lips against his, breaking every rule she'd created in her head only moments before. Running her hands through his hair, she moaned as they moved away from each other, neither of them looking at each other in the eye. "Tomorrow, I'll see you tomorrow" she muttered quickly before running out of the building into the rain. Her mind screaming at her for being so stupid while her heart fluttered at finally taking something she so desperately needed.

XOXOXOXO 

"Dad your back" Alexis announced as she ran over and hugged him, smiling as his arms wrapped around her for a moment before she slowly moved away and looked at him. "And your covered in lipstick" she announced, her fingers touching the smudges that covered his lips. "Who? What? Where? When? How?" she asked quickly, his eyes rolling at her as he moved away and collapsed onto the sofa, a sigh leaving his lips as he thought about her kissing him in the corridor. "Earth to dad, what happened?" she asked.

"Just kissed someone, that's all" he laughed as she groaned and hit his arm. "And the cops were nothing to worry about, I'm not in trouble this time" he added as she sighed and shut her eyes, finally able to relax. "Just a murderer is going around copying my books".

"And you say you're not in trouble" Alexis commented before standing and staring at him. "I'm going to study; gran's coming over soon because she wants to make sure you haven't done anything as stupid as the horse".

"Now that was only a onetime thing, how many times do I have to say that?" he asked as she rolled her eyes and quickly left the room, entering the privacy of her bedroom as he smiled. Detective Kate Beckett had kissed him and this time it was the real her letting him in. "Alexis I'm going out" he shouted up the stairs.

"What about gran?" she shouted back quickly as she opened her door and ran to the top of the stairs and crossed her arms while watching him. "She wants to see me".

"Tell her something extremely important came up" he declared, grabbing his coat off the sofa quickly. "Tell her I'm seeing a woman about a kiss" he announced before running to the door, leaving his daughter staring at him shaking her head, a few seconds later Martha walking in.

"Was that Richard I saw running down the stairs like a mad man? I didn't think it was originally because he's running down the stairs but then when I heard him saying things to himself I started to doubt myself" she laughed as Alexis groaned and walked down the stairs.

"Apparently he's gone to ask a woman about a kiss" she muttered as Martha's eyebrows rose.

"Now darling granddaughter, tell me everything".


	7. Chapter 7

**A small chapter but I wanted to show something rather than do a long chapter where I would go off the plot because as my history teacher puts it I don't get straight to the point and I like to talk about nothing in particular. Anyway I hope you enjoy and thank you for all your reviews, I really do love them. **

Hearing a large knock at her front door, she turned before tightening the tie on her dressing gown, allowing herself to feel suitably covered before she crept towards the door. Slowly opening it, she felt his arms wrap around her before he pressed his lips against her, her eyes catching a glimpse of the man holding her before she surrendered and allowed him to continue with his assault on her lips. Slipping away from him slightly, she gasped as she stared at his lipstick covered faced and giggled lightly. Leading him into her apartment, she shut the door behind them and allowed her arms to wrap around his neck, bringing his lips to hers once more.

"We shouldn't be doing" she commented onto his lips as his arms wrapped tighter around her, his lips running down her neck slowly. "We really shouldn't be doing this" she mumbled before groaning, his hands running up under her shirt as she looked down at him to see him kissing the bare skin of her neck. Leaning up, he sighed and pressed his lips once more against his, her arms tightening around his neck as they slowly walked across the room, the two of them falling onto the sofa as hands tugged at clothing. "We're working together Rick, this breaks every rule in my head" she commented as she pulled her shirt off and stared at him, her hand running to his cheek.

"But we're going too aren't we?" he asked as she nodded, bringing her lips up to his once more as her fingers slipped down to the belt of his jeans, a small smile covering her face as she undid the belt and looked at him. "Are you sure?" he quickly muttered onto his lips.

"I wouldn't have ever let it get this far if I wasn't" she quickly commented before they kissed once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Tracing circles onto his chest with her fingers, she smiled onto his chest before pressing a kiss against it, a laugh slipping from his lips as he looked down and ran his own fingers through her hair. Moving up so she was close to him again, she stared into his eyes, noticing the small smile that covered his face as his hands ran around her waist.

"I'm not going anywhere Rick, you can let go of me now" she laughed as he smiled at her and kissed her, the warmth of her lips on his comforting his mind for a moment as they slipped away and she sat up. "At least not at the moment anyway" she declared before turning to look at him, holding the sheet around her chest as he watched her, amazed at how even more beautiful she seemed. Sitting up behind her, he sighed as he slowly kissed her shoulder blades, a small creeping onto her face as she felt every kiss getting more and more intimate. "Rick, this can't make things awkward at the precinct, I won't let this get in the way of my job, whatever this is. I will end it if it doesn't work with my job" she quickly commented as he groaned and slowly sighed onto her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Hearing her phone ring, she groaned before reaching over to grab it, knowing that she was showing her body to him once again. "Beckett" she hissed into the phone as she lay back and listen to them tell her the one thing she didn't want to hear. "Okay I'll be there in ten" she moaned before hanging up and shutting her eyes, kicking her legs at the exact same time.

"I could wait if you like" he whispered as she stopped kicking and turned to look at him. "I could wait for you to come back and if you are a while, I'm sure I can come into work to annoy you. I'm very good at acting, I learnt from the best" he declared as she smiled and shook her head quickly, leaning into kiss him before groaning.

"You're bad for me Castle, I don't want to go in now" she sighed, a smile appearing on his face as he pushed her gently into the mattress, a smile covering her face as he kissed her neck. "But I have to go in, so let go" she ordered, her voice stern as he let her out from his grip and groaned as she covered herself in the blanket and walked towards her wardrobe, his eyes watching every step she took.

"God your gorgeous Kate" he muttered, her head turning to look at him before winking. "I don't think I'm never going to be able to leave now I've had another look at you".

"Well you have to, you've got a daughter and I have a very demanding job which is demanding me right now so get out of bed and get dressed" she laughed, chucking his boxers at him as he groaned and shook his head, quickly climbing out of the bed himself.

XOXOXOXO

Stopping at her front door, she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, his arms tightening around his hips as their lips motioned everything they wanted to say without the hassle of having to express it vocally and waste the precious time they had left in their own fantasy world.

"I'll see you later, perhaps I'll drop by the precinct and see you, help out with the case a bit, give my personal knowledge towards my books" he suggested receiving a small nod of an answer before she unlocked the door and slipped out of the apartment, clinging onto his hand for a moment. "Send me a text or something when you want me, I'll be there before you can say Richard Castle is the best in bed" he quickly commented before kissing her again, this time receiving a less enthusiastic kiss from Kate.

"This has to be kept private, I don't want anyone to see us together like this" she quickly commented, pointing at them both before walking towards the lift. "I don't want my life to become the topic of people's gossip because I'm having sex with you Rick" she whispered as they entered the metal box slowly and stood on opposite sides. As the door shut slowly, she groaned before walking over and kissing him again, his hands running down her back and cupping her ass as she smiled onto his lips. "You're bad for me" she commented before his lips came crashing down onto hers again. "Stop, I won't go to work otherwise" she gasped onto his skin as they separated slightly.

"What about if that's part of my plan?" he asked, her body moving away slowly as she forced herself to realise that she had to get to work and couldn't spend it in his arm, kissing him, however much she wanted to. "But you need to get to work and I should go home and see my daughter so…" he whispered, the doors opening slowly.

"I'll see you later" she declared before walking out and brushing down her clothes while he watched in complete amazement. Kate Beckett had something no other woman had and he loved it.

XOXOXOXOX

"So spill who was he?" Lanie asked as she sat in the morgue with a slightly confused Kate who was sat staring at her trying to work out what she was talking about. "Kate Beckett, you had sex last night and have no boyfriend so who was it?" Lanie explained.

"How do you know I had sex?" she asked quickly before Lanie walked over and touched her neck where bruising was starting to appear. "Great" she muttered under her breath, knowing to hurt him about it later. "Yes, I had sex but the last time I checked as long as it's been two consenting adults it's okay and also I didn't think it was any of your business" she explained as Lanie rolled her eyes.

"Katherine Beckett everything is my business you know that" she commented before they both laughed at her honesty. "Come on tell me who he is" she whined as Kate raised her eyebrows and smirked, knowing she was going to play a trick on her best friend.

"Richard Castle" Kate blurted out, Lanie's eyes rolling at her quickly. "What? It was" she announced, knowing that Lanie wouldn't believe her.

"Kate I know you've got this childish crush on him but you can't just make out you had sex with him to cover up the fact you must have had it pretty good with someone else" Lanie explained, Kate smiling at her innocence and the fact she was so far off. "Was it Esposito?" she asked quickly.

"No, that's just wrong" Kate declared, shutting her eyes quickly at the idea. "He's like a brother to me, no Lanie why would you even think that?" she moaned as Lanie laughed at Kate's reaction. "And don't you dare suggest Ryan too; he's like family as well" she quickly explained, Lanie shrugging at the suggestion. "Anyway I know for a fact someone has an extremely huge childish crush on Esposito" she teased as Lanie bit her lip from embarrassment.

"Shut up" Lanie mumbled, smacking her arm gently as Kate laughed at her. "Come on who was it?" she asked before Kate shook her head and walked towards the door.

"That's a secret" she announced before walking towards the lift, a smile covering her face. Richard Castle was her secret and she loved it.

XOXOXOXO

"So you've returned home then" Martha declared as Rick snuck into the apartment, a smile covering his face as he saw his mother sat on the sofa with his daughter, watching as they turned to stare at him. "And you're covered in lipstick, who was she? Not another blonde who wants your money, I'm getting bored of them" she laughed as Rick shook his head.

"Wow dad, what's she like?" Alexis asked, Rick walking over slowly to sit beside them, a laugh leaving his lips. "Come on don't leave us waiting" she laughed before he sighed.

"She's extraordinary Alexis, you'd love her" he declared, a sigh leaving his lips as he stood up slowly. "I'm going to bed, I'll talk to you about her in the morning when I've had some time to sleep on the brilliance that is running through my mind" he cheered as he ran up the stairs leaving his mother and daughter slightly shocked.

"I'm beginning to think this woman doesn't exist and instead that he's spent all night on his own in the bar" Martha commented as Alexis nodded, a small smile creeping onto her face. As long as it kept her father happy she didn't care what he did because for the past few years he'd been more miserable than she'd ever seen him and it was nice to see the man he was before.

"But at least he's happy" Alexis commented, a smile covering her face as Martha's arm wrapped around her shoulders, enjoying the feeling of having her grandmother close to her. "He deserves that much".

"Yeah as long as this woman of his isn't looking for money, wasting his time or just being useless or is a mistake" Martha listened as Alexis nodded, knowing the marriage between her mother and father had been the mistake and the marriage to Gina had been another one. "I don't think he could cope with another broken heart".

"But he always has us to come home to and that's all that matters" Alexis commented before returning back to the film, hoping that this time whoever her father was seeing would be worthwhile and not end in another heartbreak.


	9. Chapter 9

Staring at herself in the mirror, she smiled as she brushed her hair back and stared down at the black silk nightie, the smile on her face growing as she heard a tap at her front door causing her to immediately get to her feet and run out of her bedroom. Opening her front door, she smiled as he stood there staring at her, her arms immediately wrapping around his neck, bringing his lips to her as they stood in her doorway. Her arms removing from around his neck down to his shirt where her fingers began to undo the buttons, slipping the material off him as their lips remained together, the two of them walking in at the same time, shutting the door behind him. Clutching onto the thin material, he smiled as she began to kiss down his cheeks while they both stood in her apartment, enjoying the company they'd miss. They'd caught the killer and had put him away but neither of them had spent any time alone since there first night together after being reunited. Walking towards her bedroom, she smiled as his arms remained tightly wrapped around her hips, the two of them smiling as the fell onto the bed and continued to kiss.

"It's unbelievable how hard this week has been, working with you and not being able to touch" he whispered onto her neck as she undid his pants, smiling at him. "I've wanted to just put you over my shoulder and carry you into a closet and just do things to you that you couldn't even imagine" he laughed as she laughed gently, her lips slowly moving against his once more as she finally undid his pants and slipped them part way down his legs. Moving off her, he slowly removed them completely, along with his shoes and socks and smiled as he looked at the woman lying there. Her brown hair was spread across the bed and her long legs were shown off to perfection in the thin material she was wearing which flattered every aspect of her perfect body. Getting to his knees on the bed, he lent forward and slowly began to bring the dress up her body, her arms moving up to allow the material to leave her completely. Pressing his lips onto her neck, he smiled as she let out a small sigh of relief from the feeling of having him close once more.

XOXOXOXOX

Lying on her bed, she laughed as he continued to kiss her stomach while she grabbed a pillow and covered her head with it, laughing into the sea of white that covered her face. Hearing his phone ring, he groaned as he moved away and dug it out of his jacket pocket, lying back on the bed as Kate removed the pillow from her face and turned to watch him, the blanket no longer covering her naked body.

"Hello" he answered into the phone as Kate ran her fingers up and down his legs, a smile appearing onto his face. "Alexis I'm at a friend's house pumpkin, there's no need to worry I promise" he declared as Kate stared at him, her hand slipping away from his leg. "I don't know whether I'll be coming home tonight, let me ask" he declared as he covered the speaker with his hand and looked at her. Sitting up, she stared at him before pressing her lips against his giving him a question to answer. Bringing the phone to his ear again, he smiled before running his finger down Kate's cheek. "Alexis I'm going to be staying here tonight, order take out if you like, you know where I keep the card and I'll see you in the morning" he laughed as Kate smiled and kissed his forehead, a giggle leaving her lips. "I love you too pumpkin" he declared before hanging up and putting it down, his arms wrapping around her as she wrapped her legs around his hips and stared at him, her hands running through his hair.

"Is sex really more important than spending the evening with your daughter?" she asked as she moved her lips along his jaw.

"I wouldn't be spending the evening with Alexis, she'd be studying and I would be getting in the way and anyway it's not just sex I'd be turning down Kate" he declared, her eyebrows rising as she stared at him in amusement. "It's sex with you and you know how much I enjoy it" he laughed as she nodded slowly and kissed him, his fingers running down her spine slowly. Kate had never been confident about her body. She knew she wasn't fat and had a half decent figure but she wasn't the sort of woman to parade around in her underwear for some man but with Rick she was comfortable to wrap herself around him, not taking part in sexual acts but rather talking, with nothing on because he treated her as if she was the most beautiful thing around. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"How good you are for me Rick?" she admitted, looking into his blue eyes and smiling. "And how I'm comfortable doing this with you when I wouldn't be with anyone else, even people who I'm in a relationship with" she declared as they both looked down at her legs wrapped around his hips, the two of them completely naked. "But I haven't had one of those for a long time and right now I don't even care that I'm single and Lanie likes to try and get me together with people I don't know but that doesn't' matter because I have you as my secret" she laughed before they kissed slowly, their arms wrapping tightly around each other. "You're happy with the way we are aren't you?" she asked.

"I'm happy because I get to spend time with such a beautiful and sexy woman who is kind and affectionate, I love your company Kate and I enjoy sex with you so of course I'm happy" he declared as he lay down on his side, Kate's legs unwrapping from around his hips so she was lying down next to him, her fingers running across his cheeks. "This is going to be our first whole night together Kate" he smiled as she nodded and curled up into his arms, a smile covering on her face as her head buried against his chest, keeping her close.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm not completely sure about this chapter but hey this is how my brain wanted it and I'm not going to argue with it. Also, at sections it might seem like light M but I don't think the rating needs to go up although if you disagree with me I will quite happily up the rating. Thank you for your reviews on past chapters and I promise there will be more to Caskett than just sex! **

Slipping into her apartment later that evening, she groaned as she kicked her shoes off, her feet aching from the evening of dancing and walking around the charity event on Rick's arms, laughing while his mother auctioned him off to the begging women (and men) who were immediately bidding on him the moment they found out he was free, single and available for a whole evening of their choice. Sighing, she felt someone's eyes on her, amusement covering her face as she turned to see him standing there, staring at her, his smile growing. Half running, half walking, she approached him, their arms wrapping around each other as they began to kiss, their kisses getting more passionate with every movement. Undoing his bow tie, she threw it onto the phone before unbuttoning his shirt, her lips moving down to kiss the newly exposed skin in front of his as his hands ran down her back to her ass and then back up again, enjoying the touch of her under his hands and the warm comfort of her lips on his skin.

"Tonight has been the hardest night of my life" he commented as she kissed one particular spot on her legs. "Standing in a room with the most beautiful woman and not being able to touch her" he whispered, a smile covering her face as she moved away slowly and took hold of his hand. "I don't know I'm letting you do this, you didn't bid for me tonight and now I have to spend a whole evening with a woman I'm not interested in" he declared, a smirk appearing on her face as they entered her bedroom, his hand going for the light. Grabbing his hand, she shook her head at him. "I can't see you".

"Maybe I don't want you to see me Rick, maybe I want to experience different senses tonight, enhance our sense of touch and hearing and even taste" she whispered seductively into his ear, smiling as he groaned to himself. Leading him towards the bed, she smiled as she led his hands to the back of her dress, smiling to herself as he began to undo it while kissing her neck, feeling the material slowly drop to the floor as another groan left his lips as he realised that Kate Beckett was standing in front of him dressed in hardly anything and the only light in the room was the dim moonlight that entered through the gaps in the curtains. "Richard Castle, I feel very underdressed right now and I think you should lose the clothes" she ordered the smile growing on her face as he grabbed her hand and led it to the final buttons on his shirt. Pulling the material from him, she flung it somewhere within reach of her side of the bed, knowing she'd want to dress herself in it later when they began to fall asleep. She felt a strange sense of comfort when she dressed herself in his shirt, the strong odour of his aftershave and the general largeness of it in comparison to her own clothes gave her the protection she wanted but of course she'd never admit that to him, knowing the sort of man he was. Lying herself on the bed, she smiled as he moved closer to her, her hand immediately reaching for his pants, wanting to free him of the restraints that were separating them from each other. Bringing his lips to hers, he groaned, pulling away the final pieces of clothing she was wearing as she did the same to him, their bodies desperate and that's when the familiar loud ring of her phone filled the room. "No, not now, please not now" she begged, rolling over underneath him to grab it off the table and press the button. "Beckett" she snapped quickly. Putting the phone down quickly, she climbed off the bed, flicking the light on quickly to find herself something to wear.

"They've got a new lead haven't they and you being the marvellous Kate Beckett have to go and check it out" he moaned as she nodded, watching him collapse onto the bed and cover his face with his hands. "Do you want me to come in with you?" he asked her head shaking quickly as she found a pair of pants and pulled them on. "I could keep you company in case you get bored".

"Rick we were one second away from having sex tonight, I am aroused and very close to just jumping you this very second. I really don't think it's a good idea you coming into the precinct tonight when I'm this desperate" she explained, a small laugh leaving his lips as she rolled her eyes at him. "Honestly, at least at the precinct I'll have some control because I'm not attracted to Esposito or Ryan or Montgomery" she explained, quickly finding herself a shirt and pulling it on over the bra she'd just put on as Rick continued to watch. "God I thought tonight we could have some time, it's been three weeks" she moaned as he climbed off the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss against her cheek gently. "Don't do that, I won't leave".

"I'll stay and wait for you if you like?" he whispered, her head shaking once more. "I don't want to go back to an apartment where everyone's asleep Kate, all I'll think about is you and how breath taking you looked in that dress" he admitted, her eyes rolling once more at him. "At least if I stay here I know there's a small chance we might get that moment alone, I never thought I would be addicted to anything but right now your my own personal drug and I'm suffering right now".

"Fine, you can stay here but not going through my things Castle" she ordered, pulling her shoes on quickly before turning and kissing him. "Just don't go through my things" she begged as he nodded, watching her quickly run out of the room, the sound of her grabbing her stuff echoing around the soon empty apartment.

XOXOXOXOX

"Kate, Esposito tells me you snapped at him on the phone" Lanie laughed as Kate joined her in the morgue later that evening, stress covering the brunettes face as Lanie watched her in complete amusement. "Must have been something really important if you snapped at him for calling you into work" she added as Kate groaned, her eyes shutting as she slouched back in the seat.

"I was with someone and we were just about to, you know it, we were actually on the bed practically there and he calls me telling me they've got a lead, I have never wanted to kill them so much in my life" Kate moaned, a smile appearing on Lanie's face as her friend groaned from the memory. "I haven't seen him in three weeks and it's hard to see him outside of this job and I could have just blown my last opportunity for god knows how long" she continued to rant, Lanie quickly sitting herself beside her.

"You must be desperate" Lanie smiled. "I've never seen you get this stressed about a man before, it's quite amusing" she laughed, Kate hitting her arm gently as Lanie continued to laugh. "Look what are you doing right now?" she asked, Kate shrugging as she realised she wasn't doing anything important and that Ryan and Esposito were the ones busy chasing suspects. "No one would miss you if you snuck out for about an hour and came back saying you had to do something personal, you might actually work better once you've got this pressure off yourself".

"You're telling me that I should sneak off work to go and have sex with my mysterious lover" Kate checked, Lanie nodded in agreement as Kate stood up and laughed before walking towards the door, the smile not disappearing from her face. "Remind me to thank you later Lanie" she called from the lift, Lanie nodding to herself as she slowly began to get to work again.

XOXOXOXOX

Opening the door to her apartment, she smiled as she saw Rick sat on her couch, the phone pressed against his ear as he continued to nod his head while listening to the person on the other end of the line. Silently closing the door behind her, she sighed as she listened in to his conversation, desperately wishing they'd hang up so she could do the one thing she'd came for.

"Yes Alexis, I will be home later I promise, I just have some work to finish here" he declared, turning his head to see Kate standing there, unbuttoning her shirt, his eyebrows rising as she threw the material onto the floor. "Look pumpkin, I've got to go but later on I promise we'll have a movie night, me and you" he announced, going silent for a moment as he listened to his daughter. "When I see her next I'll ask Beckett if she wants to come too and you know I'll persuade her into coming if she can't be persuaded already by the idea of an evening with me and my brilliant daughter" he laughed, Kate rolling her eyes at him as she removed her shoes. "Okay, I'll see you later goodbye" he announced, hanging up quickly. Putting the phone down, he smiled as she walked over and kissed him, straddling him on the sofa quickly, glad that he was only dressed in his boxers.

"I only have an hour before I have to be back, so no stupid things now" she ordered, his head nodding as he noticed how beautiful she was even when she was desperate and stressed, her lips moving against his neck, wanting to mark him as hers so any woman was warned off.


	11. Chapter 11

"So Detective Beckett, do you know anything about this mysterious woman my dad's seeing?" Alexis asked as they shared a pizza, staring at the television screen, Rick meanwhile resting on the other couch eating another pizza to himself as he listened into the conversation he knew Kate would find awkward. "It's just me and gran were starting to wonder about whether she really existed until he turned up with a hickey tonight, which by the way dad is disgusting, you're not a teenager anymore" Alexis moaned, Kate laughing as Rick sat up and glared at them.

"I didn't even though there was a woman Alexis, we don't really discuss our personal lives at the precinct, however much your father wants too" Kate smiled as Rick nodded, Alexis groaning as she continued to stare at her father. "So how long has there been a mysterious woman Castle?" she asked, biting into a slice of pizza to stop herself from laughing at his face.

"She's not a mysterious woman, she's just a friend who I have fun with and enjoy spending time with, also she's extremely good looking which makes it slightly better" he smiled, Alexis quickly chucking a cushion at him as she rolled her eyes at Kate who smiled.

"Dad, not everything is based on looks you know, there's more to it than that why do you think every other relationship hasn't worked out for you?" Alexis asked as Rick sighed, Kate biting her lip as she began to think about the playboy Richard Castle she'd read about and how she mostly likely was another Castle groupie. "For example, personality and things like that, things that are more important than just looks" she declared, Kate looking at Rick who was staring at her, noticing the worry that was covering her face.

"Well she's also intelligent and absolutely lovely Alexis, she's just very private and she doesn't want people to know, anyway I'm not particularly sure what we are right now, we're just enjoying each other's company" he explained as Alexis quickly nodded, hoping however that he wouldn't go into any more detail about his secret relationship. "And by the look on your face you don't want me to go any further into my sex life" he laughed as Alexis groaned and chucked a cushion at him, a smile covering her face as she watched the two Castle's glare at each other with smiles still painted on their faces. Hearing her phone ring, Alexis looked down and smiled to herself before excusing herself and leaving the room, Rick rolling his eyes quickly. "Young love" he sighed, climbing off his couch to move next to Kate who smiled at him. "Having fun?" he asked.

"Yes actually" she whispered, turning to hear the teenagers bedroom door shut before she stared back at him. "Is there any chance your mother is going to come walking in at any moment in the next five minutes?" she asked quickly as Rick looked down at the watch on Kate's wrist.

"Eleven thirty, it's still early for my…" he began before Kate moved her lips onto his, her hands moving through his hair as she straddled him quickly, smiling onto his lips as she moved away to breath, her eyes staring right into his. "Kate Beckett, you like the dangerous side of life don't you?" he whispered as she bit her lip again, feeling his hands move across her ass slowly, pushing her slightly closer as she laughed. "It's impossible being around you, you know that right?" he whispered as he pressed his lips against her neck gently, her head shaking quickly as she moved away.

"We can't leave any marks Rick, she's clever and she'll work it out" Kate admitted as he groaned. "I shouldn't have done it to you earlier, I'm sorry" she commented as she ran her fingers across the noticeable red mark on his neck, a smile covering his face at the feel of her touch on his skin.

"I know being branded by a beautiful woman is absolutely horrid, you'll just have to make it up to me on a later date" he laughed as she rolled her eyes and heard the door open upstairs causing her to slip off his lap and sit beside him, smiling at him as they both smoothed down their clothing trying to calm themselves down as Alexis joined them quickly. "Boyfriend by any chance?" he asked.

"None of your business dad" she declared quickly. "Hey you stole my seat" she moaned, Rick quickly sticking his tongue out at her as Kate rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "Anyway, your couch is the comfier one".

"Well this couch has the lovely detective with it Alexis" he smiled, Kate hitting him gently as Alexis laughed and sat herself down where Rick had been sitting. "That's so much better than a comfy seat" he added, Alexis staring at him with her eyebrows raised.

"I didn't think I was included with the furniture actually" Kate quickly commented as Rick sighed at her. "Anyway Alexis doesn't take up as much space as you so I prefer sitting next to her, also she doesn't talk the whole way through the film giving away the plot " Kate teased, watching the glare appear on his face as both women began to laugh again, the smile on his face growing as he realised how easy they'd gotten on.

XOXOXOXO

"Thank you for coming tonight Detective, it was nice seeing you properly" Alexis smiled as she stood by the stairs smiling at the brunette.

"Alexis, my names Kate, the only person who needs to call me anything slightly professional is your father" Kate explained as Alexis nodded and smiled. "Goodnight" she added, watching the redhead quickly sneak up the stairs and disappear from sight. Turning back around to look at the man who was next to her, she smiled before standing and holding her hand out for him. "Are you going to show me around or not?" she asked, surprised at how fast he got up. Leading her around the apartment, he pointed out the obvious things before leading her towards a door and opening it.

"This is my office, the place where all my genius writer ideas originate from" he laughed, shutting up and she pushed him in and shut the door. "And I think the first place in my apartment where I'm going to get lucky with a certain brunette" he added as she rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "God Kate, you are beautiful" he whispered as she moved closer to him and sighed.

"I'm going to have to go, your daughter is going to get suspicious if you spend another night with your mysterious woman" she giggled lightly before kissing him gently. "And by the way, you are amazing Rick" she added, a smile covering his face as he ran his hands down her back, his fingers moving into the waistband of her jeans. "God if you don't stop, I won't leave and I don't want your amazing daughter to find us in a compromising position which might freak her out" she whispered into his ear, her fingers slowly running up his chest, teasing him.

"Maybe I could come early tomorrow morning?" he suggested as she smiled. "Beckett called me in Alexis, I'm sorry" he whispered as she nodded and walked out of the room, grabbing her bag quickly before slipping her keys out. Taking off a spare, she slipped it into his hand before closing his fingers around it.

"Let yourself in" she announced before biting her lip and walking towards the door, loving the power she had over him as she slipped out of the apartment and finally allowed herself to giggle from amazement before she went into shock. Since when did she giggle? But also when had she become so desperate to be around one man in particular?


	12. Chapter 12

**Once again thank you for the amazing reviews, I absolutely love hearing from you and can't wait to hear from you again on future chapters. I also hope you continue to enjoy this story and well, yeah, that's about it! **

Opening the door to her apartment, he smiled as he saw her sat on the sofa, the smile quickly disappearing as he realised that she was sat on the sofa, her arms wrapped around her legs, a look he hadn't seen before covering her exhausted face as she sat there dressed in old grey pyjamas. Walking over, he slowly sat himself next to her and reached across, taking hold of her hand in his, her head turning to look at him before she moved closer and allowed him to wrap his arm around her. Pressing a kiss against her head, he sighed as she relaxed into him, her eyes shutting slowly as she began to feel safe again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a groan leaving her lips as she looked up at him and sighed. "Kate have you actually slept at all?" he asked, her head shaking as this time he was the one to groan before he lifted her into his arms and carried her towards her bedroom, her head relaxing against his chest as she took in the familiar scent of Castle. Placing her on the bed, he slowly sat beside her and stared at her, taking hold of her hand again. "Now Miss Beckett are you going to tell me what's wrong with you tonight?" he asked as he lay himself down next to her, still holding her hand. Moving closer, she allowed her head to rest against his chest as she sighed again.

"I don't know, I just couldn't get to sleep Rick, it's nothing for you to worry about" she admitted, not wanting to add that she couldn't get to sleep because he wasn't there for the first time in days but most of all she didn't want to admit it because she was scared of what that meant she was admitting to herself if she let herself reveal that she needed him in her life. Wrapping his arms around her slightly tighter, he held her close, the needed sleep also catching up on him as he remembered that he hadn't slept either and the main cause of that was how strange and cold his bed at the apartment was without her there.

"Look try and sleep now because if I'm honest, I'm exhausted as well because I didn't sleep very well either" he whispered into her hair, a sigh leaving her lips as she relaxed in his arms, sleep catching up with them as they slowly began to succumb to their body's needs and allowing themselves to finally be in the one place they secretly needed to be. In each other's arms.

XOXOXOXOX

"Brad Pitt or George Clooney?" he asked as she lay in between his legs, her head resting his chest as their hands rested on her stomach the following morning, enjoying the peace of the morning without having any calls from the precinct, the morning sun leaking in through her window as she sighed.

"What?" she whispered, her head turning so she could look up at him to see the sincerity in his face. "You want me to choose between Brad Pitt and George Clooney? Why? Is it really important Rick?" she laughed as he sighed and continued to stare at her, watching the smile grow on her still sleep covered face.

"Well it's an argument that many woman discuss and I wanted to know your opinion on the debate Kate" he smiled as she rolled her eyes and began to think about which man she preferred. "Come on most people just come with it in the first five seconds, your taking forever" he smiled as she stared at him and rolled her eyes once again, the smile quickly growing on her face as he sighed.

"Brad Pitt, I don't find George Clooney as attractive but I don't like either of them that much Rick if I'm honest. I don't really watch their films very often them" she explained before sighing, hearing him laugh gently as he ran his hands from her stomach up to her breasts, a laugh leaving her lips as she felt his fingers stroke against the material, a laugh leaving her lips as his hands moved back to the button of her top and instead moving inside of it, the smile growing on her face as she felt his hands against her skin. "And anyway, I have my own celebrity to keep me happy, I don't need to think about other men right now" she laughed as he smiled at her, the sound of her phone causing them both to groan as she reached across to grab it off the side. Hitting the button, she sighed as she shut her eyes and held it against her ear. "Beckett" she declared.

"Katherine Beckett where are you because you're not at the precinct where you normally are?" Lanie asked, Kate rolling her eyes as she looked up at the man who was next to her, his hands still groping her breasts gently. "Kate its ten o'clock and you're not in work, something must be going on with you" she announced, Kate sitting up quickly as she registered the time, shock covering her face quickly.

"Ten o'clock?" she asked, climbing out of bed quickly as Rick watched her. "I overslept, I didn't know by that much" she moaned, rushing over to her wardrobe to find something to wear, the smile growing on Rick's face as he stared at her in amusement, Kate turning to glare at him quickly. "Look Lanie, I'll be there in twenty" she announced before hanging up and chucking her phone onto the bed. "Richard Castle get dressed, we have got to be out of here and in the precinct in twenty minutes and there is no way I'm going to suffer because of you without you there to get some pain too" she smiled, grabbing her clothes and laughing.

"And how am I going to suffer I haven't done anything wrong?" he asked quickly. "For all anyone knows you picked me up from my apartment, where I spent the night with my daughter and mother in the apartment" he explained, Kate raising her eyebrows quickly before disappearing out of the room, Rick sitting up in shock. "Kate what are you going to do?" he asked, a smile covering her face as she stood in the bathroom getting dressed. Finishing getting dressed, she slipped out of the room to see him pulling on his shirt, a smile covering her face as she crept over and touched his hands. "You still have to tell me what you're going to do" he whispered as she shook her head at him.

"I don't have to tell you anything Castle" she smiled as she finished buttoning up his shirt and sighed. "There, you look slightly suitable for a day at the precinct although your hair could do with a brush" she laughed before taking his hand and leading him towards the door, a smile covering her face quickly as he pulled her close and kissed her quickly, a laugh leaving her lips as she smiled at him and ran her hand to his cheek. "God knows when we'll next be able to do that".

"Don't worry Beckett if you get really desperate I'm quite happy to have you drag me into a closet and have your wicked way with me whenever you feel like it" he smiled, her eyes rolling quickly as she disappeared out of the apartment, Rick following her closely.

XOXOXOXO

"So Beckett why are you so late?" Esposito asked as she entered the precinct with Rick, Ryan also looking around to watch them. "Is there something you want to tell us?" he added as Kate nodded to him, the two men looking from each other to the other detective quickly.

"Actually there is Esposito, I overslept, if you had listened to Lanie, she would have told you that" Kate explained before smiling. "Anyway I'm not the one who had a mysterious blonde run from their apartment when I went to pick them up this morning" Kate smiled before turning to look at Rick who was staring at her in shock, watching the small smirk that appeared on her face. "Anyway I am going down to see Lanie, I will see you guys later and have fun Castle" she smiled before leaving Rick alone with the two other detectives who were staring at him, their arms crossed as their eyebrows remained raised.

"Mysterious blonde hey Castle?" Ryan asked, sitting down to see the writer looking completely awkward. "Want to discuss that?" he asked as Rick shook his head, a small laugh leaving his mouth as he thought about how brilliant Kate Beckett actually was and how she'd had this planned all along since he'd made her late for work.


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay this is set after Will has popped back into the picture, unfortunately for everyone, anyway I hope you enjoy it and please review, I love hearing from you. Anyway, I have more time to write more chapters now because there's no more school so expect more updates now! **

Knocking on his door, she sighed as she crossed her arms, her foot tapping on the floor as she waited for him to open the door. He'd been avoiding her since Will had appeared on the scene and they didn't seem to talk about anything but work anymore when they were at the precinct. Opening the door the quickly, she smiled as Alexis stood there, a bag flung over her shoulder as she ran her hands through her red hair, staring up at the detective.

"Dad's in his room" she immediately said, Kate nodding quickly as she watched the redhead slip out of the doorway and into the corridor. "He's not in the best of moods, hasn't been all week. I think the mystery woman of his has ended it" she explained, Kate sighing as she stood there in silence. "Detective can you please try and cheer him up? You always seem to make him smile" Alexis whispered as Kate nodded, her arms wrapping around the teenager who sighed. "I'm going to my friends tonight and grams out as well".

"Okay, look Alexis go and enjoy your night out, I'll make sure your dad's alright" she smiled, Alexis nodding quickly before walking towards the lift, Kate watching her until she disappeared behind the metal doors. Entering the apartment slowly, she shut the door and walked towards the stairs, half guessing where Rick's bedroom would most likely be. Walking down the corridor, she smiled as she noticed the only door slightly open causing her to walk over and open it more to reveal the man sleeping on the bed. Walking over, she slowly slipped towards him and sat herself down beside him, her fingers running down his cheek as he groaned in his sleep. Opening his eyes, he stared at her before sitting up, a smile quickly covering her face.

"Beckett what are you doing here?" he asked quickly, Kate reaching across to hold his hand as he watched her. "I didn't want you here Kate and you shouldn't just invite yourself in" he declared as she moved closer to him, her hand tightening around his.

"What's going on Rick?" she asked her eyes not moving off his as he sighed. "Rick one night your all over me and we're having the best sex ever and the following day you don't even talk to me unless it's about work, you don't tease me or do anything, you just forget everything" she explained as she watched him. "It's been a week Rick, what's going on with you or is this your way of telling me that what we have is over?" she asked, letting go of his hand quickly as she moved away and stood up, staring at him.

"Seeing you with that man, I got jealous. I know we're not a couple and we certainly don't love each other but I got jealous. It's the first time I've ever done something like this Kate, so seeing someone who I'm physically so close to with another man almost kissing him is a bit odd" he explained, looking up at her slowly to see her arms crossed. "I never meant to ignore you, I didn't realise I was that badly" he added, a small smile creeping onto her face as she allowed herself to sit beside him. "I'm sorry Kate, I never meant to hurt you and if you want to know the truth, I've really missed you" he explained, reaching across to take hold of her hand again, slowly bringing it to his lips to kiss it gently.

"I've missed you too and by the way, I turned Will down, he means nothing to me anymore so you don't have anything to be jealous about" she smiled, turning around slowly to press her lips against his, a smile covering both their faces as they moved away slightly. "Talk to me next time, tell me about it" she whispered before kissing him again, this time deeper and more passionate, her arms wrapping around his neck as he leant forward causing her to lie back on the bed, her arms tightening around him.

"Why don't we order in tonight? I'm exhausted and however much I've missed you Kate, I think we need some time to get over this" he whispered, Kate smiling before she nodded and kissed him gently. "What do you fancy pizza or Chinese?" he asked, Kate smiling as she slowly sat up and sighed, his arms wrapping around her, keeping her close to him as she continued to think about it.

"Pizza, it's so much easier to share" she smiled, turning her head gently so she could kiss him again, this time small and sweet, savouring the taste before she slowly moved away from him and crept away from the bed, smiling at him. "Can I borrow a shirt? If we're going to order in I want to be comfortable" she explained, Rick nodding as he pointed towards the wardrobe, Kate smiling as she walked towards and slowly took hold of a shirt, smiling at him quickly. "You order the pizza, I'll have whatever you're having" she smiled before disappearing into the en-suite, Rick watching her in amusement.

XOXOXOXO

"So are you going to tell me about Will?" he asked as they lay on the couch, Kate lying between his legs as their hands rested on her stomach, the empty pizza boxes covering the floor as she sighed, her eyes shutting for a moment. "Come on, you know how it ended with my wives" he laughed, the smile covering her face quickly as she rolled her eyes.

"Rick, your life is public gossip, everyone knows how you broke up with your wives" she laughed, staring up at the ceiling before she relaxed. "We were serious, at least one of the most serious relationships I've ever been in and he got offered a job in Boston and he asked me to go with him. I turned him down because this job means everything to me, I couldn't just give up everything I'd worked for just so I could have this one guy who it most likely wouldn't have ended up working out with anyway" she explained, Rick nodding slowly before he pressed a kiss against her head, the smell of cherries causing him to smile.

"I think you made the right choice, the precinct wouldn't be half as good as it is without you Kate, you're an amazing detective" he smiled, Kate laughing as he ran his hand up and down her chest, sometimes playing with one of the buttons on the burgundy shirt. "And anyway, if you had disappeared off to Boston, who would I be sitting on a sofa with now?" he asked, Kate laughing to herself as she slowly sat up and stared outside at the dark sky. Turning around, she smiled to see him looking at her, the smile on his face small but completely content. Leaning across, she slowly pressed her lips gently against his; the smile growing on their faces as she slowly took hold of his hand.

"Mr Castle, why don't we go to bed I'm tired?" she asked, Rick nodding as they both stood up, clinging onto each other's hands as they walked towards the stairs, his arm slowly sneaking around her hips as she relaxed into his side. Entering his bedroom a few moments later, she smiled as he moved closer to her, the two of them sitting down on the bed before he wrapped his arms around them, the two of them relaxing against each other as she pressed her lips against his slowly, her eyes shutting gently. "I think this is the second time we've gone to bed without having sex first, it's starting to become a habit" he laughed as she sighed, her eyes shutting as he kept her close, keeping her safe and protected from everything else.


	14. Chapter 14

Walking down the street with him, she smiled as she looked around at the crowded streets, smiling to herself as she moved closer so her hand brushed against his, Rick turning to look at her before they both smiled at each other. Looking around quickly, he realised that there weren't any familiar faces around so he slowly took hold of her hand, Kate biting into her lip as she allowed him to hold it. Somehow she'd managed to get a day off and Rick had persuaded her to spend the day with him the night before. Entering the small bookshop, he smiled as she stared at it in shock, still clutching onto Rick's hand as he remained close to her, the two of them approaching the murder section where they both knew their hearts lied. Staring across the titles, she slowly went to reach for one as Rick continued to watch, smiling as she pulled out one of his first books and sighed.

"This is the first book of yours that I read after…" she began before shutting her eyes and closing the book quickly, placing it back on the shelf after she'd reopened her eyes and sorted her emotions out again. Watching every expression that appeared on her face, he slowly reached across and took hold of her hands, Kate staring at him as he watched her.

"After you lost whoever made you want to join the force" he suggested, Kate nodding quickly as she bit her lip to force herself to feel physical pain rather than the emotional pain that was running through her already. Moving away slightly so his hands let go of her, she slowly moved away, turning away from him causing Rick to begin to worry. Walking towards the exit, she bit into her lip before exiting the shop, Rick quickly leaving as well to catch up with her. Running after her, he grabbed hold of her hand, forcing her to turn around to look at him, worry covering his face as he led her down the street. Entering a small alley he stared at her as she bit into her lip, unable to look at him. "Want to talk to me about it?" he asked, Kate's hand leading to her necklace as she pulled it out from under her shirt, threading her finger through the ring.

"My mom died" she whispered, still unable to look into his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "It was unexpected and well me and my dad never got over it" she admitted, Rick holding her for a moment as she buried her head into his chest, not caring if anyone saw. "She was just such an amazing person and then she was gone" she sighed as Rick stared down at her, for the first time seeing Kate Beckett completely weak. Moving away slowly, she stared at him before he led her out of the alley and back into the busy New York streets.

"Ice cream, I think. What do you think? Do you fancy some ice cream?" he asked, Kate laughing before nodding quickly, allowing him to lead her down the road as the smile began to appear on her face again. "What do you fancy? Triple chocolate, lots of it?" he suggested, Kate nodding again as he smiled and led her towards the one place he knew sold the best chocolate ice cream in the whole of New York.

XOXOXOXOXO

"Where are we going?" she asked quickly as he led her out of her apartment, a smile covering her face as she stood there dressed in the black mid-thigh dress that he'd half forced her into wearing, the red coat over it covering most of her body so her neighbours didn't see the limited amount that she was wearing. "Rick, you need to tell me where we're going. You forced me into a dress and you won't tell me where your taking me, I don't think that's a good way to treat a woman with a gun" she explained, Rick laughing as they entered the lift and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"We are going somewhere fun and far away from all things miserable and sad" he announced, Kate smiling as she quickly nodded, kissing him gently as his arms tightened around her, their lips remained pressed against each other. "For a whole night of clubbing and music with yours truly" he added, the door opening as they walked out, hand in hand towards the exit, not caring about who was watching them because they were just to anyone else two friends going out for a night together but to themselves, secretly, they were both something more than that.

XOXOXOXO

Laughing as he turned her, she smiled as they stood close together, dancing along to the music in the crowded club, his arm wrapping around her waist to keep her close as they continued to move along to the beat, the smile growing on both their faces as they stood in complete silence, her eyes shutting for a moment to feel the movement more. Feeling his lips on her neck, she smiled to herself, enjoying the feeling of his arms tighten around his waist, protecting her from everyone else in the building.

"I'm going to get a drink, want one?" he asked, Kate nodding quickly as he slowly moved away and walked towards the bar, his eyes not moving off the woman who was still dancing, some other men slowly entering the space he'd been in. Ordering their drinks, he smiled as he turned to see Kate standing there, a smile covering her face as she moved closer and pressed a kiss against his lips, her hands running through his hair as they slowly moved away from each other.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted those creeps to know I was sort of with someone, they kept trying to touch me and they never get the message when you say no" she explained, Rick nodding as he passed her the drink he'd ordered, Kate smiling as she realised it was her favourite. "How did you know this was my favourite?" she asked, staring at him as they walked towards some seats, stealing one for themselves as he wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close as he smiled to himself.

"I know a lot about you Kate" he admitted, his hand linking with hers slowly. "Anyway, tonight is about you and making you smile so are you having fun?" he asked quickly, Kate nodding as she stared at him, taking a zip of the drink quickly. Hearing a familiar laugh, she turned to see Lanie walking in with some men she didn't recognize, Kate ducking under the table as Rick watched her in amusement. "What are you doing?" he asked before noticing the woman for himself before staring back down at Kate who was biting her lip. "Here" he announced, pulling his hoody off and passing it under the table, Kate quickly pulling it on with the hood up before sliding onto the seat next to him, his arm wrapping around her as she buried her head against his chest just as Lanie walked over.

"Richard Castle fancy seeing you here" she commented, Rick laughing as she stared at the woman next to him whose head was practically buried right up against him. "And who's this?" she asked.

"Friend of mine, from abroad, doesn't speak any English so she doesn't really understand what's going on" he explained, Lanie raising her eyebrows as he watched her, Kate meanwhile smiling to herself. "It works, anyway we're going to go, we have places to be, people to see" he smiled, standing up quickly as Kate continued to hold onto him, desperately trying to cover her face from her friend as she walked out with Rick, Lanie watching in amusement as they left the building, arms wrapped around each other, smiling to themselves.


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay so now I'm now going away from the actual Castle storyline so I can get this where I want it. I hope you enjoy and please review, I do love hearing from you. I know this chapter is rather short but I liked where it left off and well, it just seemed to be the right place to end it but I promise to update with another chapter really quickly. **

"Rick" she screamed as she turned the corner to see him lying on the pavement, his hands pressed against his abdomen as the person they were looking for ran around the corner, Kate not caring as she knelt beside him and pressed her hands to his, applying the pressure that she knew the wound needed as Ryan and Esposito turned around the corner, watching them as they pulled out their phone, dialling for an ambulance, Kate not hearing their voices as she continued to watch Rick, the feeling of his blood on her hands bringing a tear to her eyes. Leaning further forward so she was close to his face, she smiled through the tears as he looked at her, pain covering his face. "Don't you dare leave me Rick, I need you" she begged, the tears running from her cheeks onto his face as he slipped his hand to her cheek, groaning from the pain before he realised that he'd covered her face in his blood. Watching his eyes start to shut, she slowly turned to make sure that no one was looking before she moved closer and pressed her lips against his, desperately trying to keep him awake. Staying close, she moved her lips from his and sighed as he watched her, tears running from his eyes as she looked at him. "I need you Rick so don't you dare leave me, you're all I want at the moment and I don't know why you mean so much to me but I can't go on without you. When you ignored me because of Will, I have never been so desperate to see someone and well I missed you, more than I've ever missed any man in my whole life" she admitted, her eyes shutting for a moment as he pressed her hands down, knowing it wasn't exactly what she needed especially seeing that her hands were covered in his blood.

"Kate" he whispered, the sound of sirens filling the air as she smiled at him. "I promise I'll be okay" he announced, paramedics running over quickly and kneeling beside them, moving Kate's hands from his quickly. "Don't call Alexis, she's on a trip and she'll worry for no reason" he whispered, Kate watching as he was quickly loaded into the ambulance, Kate watching before looking down at the blood that covered her hands, her breathing starting to struggle as the two other detectives walked over to join her.

"Beckett, we've tried to call Alexis but her phones off" Esposito announced, Kate nodding as she walked towards her car, still staring at her blood covered hands, her body shaking from shock as she found herself beside her car trying to hold back the tears.

XOXOXOXOX

Resting her head on the hospital bed, she felt the tears run down her cheeks again as she listened to the sound of the machines that were making the only noise in the room except for the sound of her sobs. Standing up quickly, she walked towards the windows and shut the blinds before closing the door and climbing onto the bed beside him, lying on her side as she rested against him, tears streaming down her cheek.

"You're going to be okay Rick, you have to be okay because I need you" she whispered, amazed at how she'd just climbed onto the bed with him in a public building where anyone could walk in and see them after all the time they'd spent keeping whatever they were hidden from the rest of the world. Hearing a familiar voice down the corridor, she slowly sat up just before Martha entered the room and wrapped her arms around the detective. "He's going to be okay Martha, the doctors say he should wake up soon and that the operation went well, the bullet didn't hit anything major" she admitted, the older woman nodding as she stared at her son, reaching across to hold his hand. "We haven't been able to get hold of Alexis but Rick told me not to call her anyway".

"She's away with friends, I'll call her later when I know he's okay so she doesn't have to worry about anything" Martha explained as Kate nodded. "Don't you have anywhere else you need to be?" she asked quickly, Kate shaking her head as she stared at the man who was just lying there, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Nowhere as important as here right now" Kate commented, going silent as she realised what she'd just said. "It's my fault he's here and I'm not leaving until he's woken up and is being the annoying nine year old on a sugar rush" she smiled, Martha laughing as she listened to the woman's description of her son but also taking in the obvious feelings that Kate was showing on her face.

"I need a coffee, I'm going to go and get a coffee, would you like one?" Martha asked quickly, Kate nodding as she turned to smile at the woman who was sat on the bed, a smile covering her face as she watched the older woman leave the room before she turned back around to look at the man whose bed she was sat on, her hand still clinging onto his in desperation before she brought it to her lips and kissed it, her lips lingering over his hand for a moment longer than normal, her eyes not moving off his face as she began to silently cry from the pain.


	16. Chapter 16

Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes to find himself in unfamiliar surroundings, the whiteness of the room blinding him in a way as he moved his hand, finding that the one on his left had less space that the other, his eyes looking down to see Kate sat in the chair, her head resting on her hands on the bed fast asleep. Smiling at her, he slowly ran his fingers through her short hair, the smile growing as she looked up and stared at him, her face covered in exhaustion as he watched her for a moment.

"Rick?" she whispered, the man quickly nodding as she slowly sat up and smiled, her body sat at the edge of the seat so she was as close to him as possible, her hand clinging onto his. "Don't you dare do that to me again Rick" she announced, the writer smiling at her as he reached across and touched her cheek, Kate staring at him as she sighed. "Ryan and Esposito tried to get hold of Alexis yesterday but her phones off and your mother was here last night but she got a call for an audition so she's gone away and she did want to stay here with you but I persuaded her to go because she sounded so excited about it that I knew you would be upset if she missed the opportunity" she explained, Rick nodding as he smiled at her, relaxing back in the bed as she watched him.

"Thank you for doing that Kate" he whispered, Kate smiling at him as she continued to hold onto his hand, the doctor quickly entering the room. "Morning doctor" he smiled, the man standing in the doorway smiling as Kate watched him. "So when can I go home Doc, I'm bored already and I'd really like to be home, I have got a book to write?" he asked, Kate smiling at him as the doctor sighed, standing at the end of the bed looking at the writer.

"We're going to keep you in overnight tonight and then tomorrow we're going to think about discharging you but you'll have to stay with someone for a while" the doctor explained, Kate squeezing his hand gently as he smiled. "Do you have anyone you can stay with over the next couple of days?" he asked, Rick nodding as he looked at the detective who was smiling at him, continuing to hold onto his hand as he smiled.

"I think I've got someone" he smiled, the doctor nodding before leaving the room as Rick stared at her, Kate watching him as he continued to hold onto her hand, enjoying the feeling of having her close as she slowly sat herself on the edge of the bed. "Did you stay last night as well?" he asked, Kate nodding slowly as he smiled and stared at her. "Why would you do that? I know how much you like to sleep" he commented as she moved closer to him, her forehead slowly resting against his as she looked at him.

"Because I…" she began but the sound of Ryan and Esposito talking down the corridor made her move away and sit on the chair, her hand moving away from his as she watched the two other detectives enter the room, their smiles growing as they noticed that the writer was now awake.

"Castle you're awake" Ryan announced as they sat themselves down next to him, Kate smiling at the detectives who were looking at her. "Beckett you look exhausted".

"Thanks Ryan, you really know how to make a girl feel special" Kate teased as she relaxed in the seat before sitting up straight. "I'm going to go and get a coffee" she smiled, standing up quickly as Rick watched her disappear out of the room in search of caffeine.

Entering the hospital room after the other detectives had left the room and she'd drunk two coffees in an attempt to wake herself up; she smiled as she shut the door, Rick smiling at her as she walked over and sat herself down on the edge of the bed, taking hold of his hand again as he slowly moved his fingers across her cheek as she bit into her lip. Leaning down, she smiled as she gently pressed her lips against his, his hand squeezing hers as she smiled at him, her forehead resting against his.

"Because you what Kate?" he asked, the detective smiling as she shook her head, Rick watching her as she sat up and sighed. "Tell me, you know you can tell me anything Kate" he whispered as she moved away and sat herself in the other chair, watching him.

"Rick it doesn't matter, I'm just being stupid, it's been a long night" she muttered, shutting her eyes for a moment as she continued to feel his eyes on her as she sighed, knowing that she was ridiculous. "Just try and sleep Castle, I need you to get better" she commented, her eyes not opening as he continued to watch her, reaching across to hold onto her hand, the smile growing on her face as she allowed him to clutch onto it, his fingers occasionally running across her knuckles.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Kate I only just turned my phone on, you've called like one hundred times what's wrong?" Alexis announced down the phone as Kate stood outside the hospital, the phone pressed against her ear as she held onto her third coffee of the day. "Kate is dad okay?" she asked, Kate sighing as she found herself a wall and sat down on it.

"He was involved in an accident yesterday" Kate admitted, hating herself for having to tell the carefree teenager this. "He's fine I promise, he's coming out of hospital tomorrow so don't worry about coming back he wants you to enjoy your trip" she explained as Alexis remained silent. "Alexis, I wouldn't lie to you, your dad is fine. He had an injury to his abdomen but the doctors sorted it out and he is practically back to himself already, he's going to stay with me until you come home and well, I'm quite happy for you to come and stay until he's fully recovered" Kate explained as Alexis sighed.

"Thanks Kate, I'm back in two weeks but if anything happens call me and I'll get the first plane home" Alexis explained, Kate smiling at the obvious love this girl had for her father. "And thank you for being honest with me Kate, not many people do. Anyway where's gram?" she asked, Kate smiling as she watched the cars drive in and out of the parking pace.

"She's gone for an audition, I persuaded her to go" Kate commented, Alexis laughing as Kate raised her eyebrows. "What's funny?" she asked quickly, not knowing whether she was being nosy or just being caring as she didn't have much understanding of teenagers or families in general.

"Sorry, it just sounds like you're trying to be alone with my dad, I know I'm being stupid it's just what it sounded like" Alexis laughed as Kate smiled. "I've got to go, we've planned a shopping trip and well I've got to get a move on. Promise if anything happens…" she began as Kate sighed.

"Alexis you'll be the first person I call" Kate smiled as Alexis smiled to herself. "I better go, your dad will think I've abandoned him" Kate laughed as Alexis smiled. "I'll call you tomorrow if you like. Give you an update of what's going on" Kate suggested.

"I'd like that, thanks" she smiled as Kate nodded. "Look after my dad detective, however difficult he is" Alexis smiled before Kate whispered her goodbyes and they hung up on each other, Kate running her hands through her hair before sighing. She was getting far too involved with the Castle's.


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't know when I'll next be able to update any of my stories because of medical reasons at the moment but also because prom's this week and I have so many appointments here there and everywhere. I hope you enjoy this pitifully short chapter and review because I promise that I will update with one that is a lot longer. Anyway thank you for all previous reviews and I'll see you soon! **

Slipping into her bedroom the following evening, she smiled as she saw him lying in her bed, staring at her as she turned on the spot, showing off her red pyjamas in hysterics as he smiled at her, patting the bed beside him as she walked over and sat herself beside him, her lips joining with his quickly. Moving away from each other slowly, she smiled before his arms wrapped around her, keeping her close as she slowly sat herself up and pressed her lips against his once more, her hands running through his short hair as she straddled his lap quickly, their kiss deepening every second as he tightened his grip around her. Hearing her phone ring, she groaned into his mouth as their lips didn't move away from each other's. Leaning across quickly, she smiled at him before reading the name and shrugging, moving closer to him again as she ran her hands through his hair.

"My dad can call me back later" she commented before sighing, standing quickly as she grabbed his tablets from the table, reading the back of the box quickly as he watched her. "How do you fancy some wine?" she asked, Rick nodding quickly as she slipped out of the room and entered a couple of moments later with two wine glasses and a bottle. "Now Richard Castle meet the cheap wine that cops struggle to afford on our pay" she smiled, walking towards him with the bottle as Rick laughed and nodded, smiling at the woman who was pouring the red liquid into the glasses. "Should me make a toast?" she asked, Rick nodding quickly as he held his glass up.

"To life and to the beautiful woman who is next to me, who I wouldn't be here today without" he whispered, Kate smiling as she quickly pressed her lips against his and sighed, her eyes remaining shut for a moment. "Kate, something's changed" he whispered as she continued to keep her eyes shut for a moment. "It's like you're afraid to look me in the eyes since the accident" he explained, touching her cheek to make her look upwards gently, Kate staring into his eyes before she pressed her lips against his nose quickly.

"I nearly lost you Rick and for some strange reason I don't want that. Since you wondered back into my life with your teasing and annoying ways I don't want to lose you and you've made me feel like part of something more than the police force. I feel like I have a family again" she admitted, tears appearing in her eyes as she quickly turned away from him, slipping out of the bed quickly still holding onto her wine glass as she walked towards the door.

"Kate what's going on with you?" he asked, sitting up straight as she stopped by the door. "You haven't lost me, I'm still here in your bed, in your life" he smiled, climbing out of the bed quickly to wrap his arms around her waist. "And you're welcome to be part of my family Katherine Beckett, we all love you and Alexis idolises you" he explained, the brunette shutting her eyes quickly.

"That's what I'm scared of. Your daughter looks up to me and what will happen with she finds up I'm sleeping with her father?" she asked, turning in his arms quickly. "I can't lose any of you but most of all I can't lose you Rick, you've made me have something more in my life than murder, and you've made me remember what…" she began before shaking her head.

"Remember what?" he asked, Kate biting into her lip as he ran his hand to her cheek. "Tell me Kate, no secrets" he smiled, holding onto her hands slowly as she shut her eyes for a moment before opening them.

"What it feels like to be wanted by someone, by a man" she mumbled, her cheeks burning red as he pulled her close to him. "I just wish it was something more than just sex Rick, you mean a lot to me, a lot more than you did when we started this if you get what I mean?" she added, her embarrassment not fading as he smiled at her and ran his fingers across her cheek, her eyes shutting from the feel of his touch. Pressing his lips slowly onto hers, he smiled as she responded to the kiss, their bodies moving so she was resting against the door, her arms wrapping around him as he continued to kiss her.

"Then let me date you as well Kate, this doesn't have to change between us but let's give something else a go" he mumbled onto her neck as he moved away from her lips, Kate looking out across the room as she felt him kiss her bare skin. "What do you say?" he asked, moving away so he could look at her, waiting for her answer.


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm pretty surprised by how long this chapter is in comparison to some of my others, I just started writing and it didn't really want to stop but I guess you deserved a longer update since I haven't written a chapter in a while. Thank you for the reviews and once again I hope you enjoy it and continue to write reviews because honestly, they make me want to write more! **

"You're wearing a dress, why are you wearing a dress?" Lanie asked as she stared at the brunette who had entered the morgue only moments before, a smile covering her face as she ran her hand through her hair which wasn't straight for the first time in weeks but rather slightly curly, framing her face as Lanie continued to watch her. "Who is he?" she asked, crossing her arms as Kate turned to look at her, the smile remaining on her face as she opened her mouth to speak, instead a laugh leaving it instead of words as her phone beeped. Reading the message, she giggled as Lanie continued to watch, surprise filling her veins as she watched the smile grow on Kate's face as she slipped the phone back into her bag and looked up.

"I've got to go he's early but I promise we'll have a catch up soon, maybe go out for lunch one day?" Kate smiled before walking towards the door, turning her head once she'd reached it to look back at the woman who was smiling at her. "Do I look alright?" she asked, looking down at the black figure hugging dress she was wearing along with simple black heels as Lanie smiled and nodded, amazed at how serious her friend was taking this date. "Thanks Lanie, you're a great friend" she smiled before slipping out of the room, Lanie watching in complete confusion as she pulled out her phone, calling the one person who she knew would just as interested as her.

"Hey Esposito" Lanie announced a few moments later as she sat herself down on the autopsy table, smiling at the shut door. "You will never guess which dark haired detective just walked out of here in a dress about to go on a date" she smiled, waiting for his reply as she continued to think about who Kate was secretly seeing.

XOXOXOXOX

"So where are you taking me Mr Castle?" Kate asked as they walked down the street together, her arm wrapped around his as they walked towards the cinema, a smile covering her face as she noticed the name of the movie that was showing. "Our first date and you're taking me to a horror film Rick" she quickly commented as he nodded, her eyebrows rising in confusion as she turned to look at him.

"It's so we have an excuse to cuddle in public" he smiled, her eyes rolling quickly before she giggled and walked towards the door with him. "I didn't tell you earlier but you really do look beautiful" he smiled, Kate moving closer, his arms wrapping tighter around him as they bought their tickets and slipped into the building, Rick immediately going in search for popcorn as Kate stood there watching how childish he was as he stood in the queue for the food, practically jumping up and down on the spot. Joining her a few moments later with the box of popcorn, he smiled as they walked through and seated themselves down in their area, Kate beaming as she realised they were right at the back in the corner, her hand slipping down quickly to join his, their eyes locking together for a moment before she leant closer and kissed him, moving away as the room darkened and the film began to start.

Laughing as Rick jumped twenty minutes into the film, she smiled as she felt his arms wrap around her, her body moving as close to his as it could before she looked up to see fear covering his face. Rolling her eyes, she turned back around to look at the screen, jumping from surprise as she watched the blood splatter everywhere, Rick smiling down at her before pressing a kiss against her head, the smell of cherries making his smile grow as he realised that it was the first time that they were actually showing public displays of some sort of affection and how much he was enjoying it.

"I'm not the only one who's scared then" he whispered into her hair as she shook her head and elbowed him in the stomach, Rick biting into his lip to stop himself from groaning and gaining the whole rooms attention.

"I was just surprised Castle" she whispered back, smiling at him as he looked back up at the screen to see the on screen couple making out, Kate's eyes rolling as she watched them for herself, Rick touching her hand gently as she bit into her lip and smiled to herself, her eyes not moving off the screen as she felt his fingers run across her hand, her teeth sinking further into her bottom lip, making her glad that the room was dark and no one could see how close to laughing she was in the middle of a film where most the people around her were jumping or even screaming.

XOXOXOXOX

"That was the biggest pile of rubbish I've ever seen" she laughed as they walked down the street together, her hand in his as they remained close to each other, Rick staring down at her as worry covered his face. "But thank you for taking me, I enjoyed myself" she added before leaning up and pressing a kiss against his cheek. "So where are we going now?" she asked, staring at him as he pointed across the street at a small Italian restaurant, a smile growing on her face as he led her across the street towards it. Entering the restaurant, they found themselves being seated right at the back, away from most of the larger groups of people who had already taken in a lot of alcohol and were laughing about something, the smell of spices filling the restaurant which made the smile grow on the detectives face.

"So detective are enjoying our first date?" he asked as he held her hand across the table while they both read the menu's, occasionally looking up at each other before smiling and laughing. "Because I'm enjoying it a lot" he admitted, running his fingers across her hand as she looked up once more and put the menu down, staring into his blue eyes.

"It's one of the best first dates I've ever been on Rick, if not the best" she whispered as he smiled and leant across, kissing her gently, a laugh leaving her lips as they moved away from each other. Ordering to the young blonde waitress a few moments later who kept staring at the writer, Kate watched as she disappeared again and Rick turned his attentions back to her, her eyebrows rising as he sighed. "Do you like it?" she asked quickly.

"Like what Kate?" he asked as she sighed and looked down at their joined hands, a small smile appearing on her face as he ran his thumb against her hand, the brunette slowly looking up at them.

"All the attention, all the beautiful young women who want you Rick, do you like having all that attention?" she explained as Rick stared at her, continuing to hold onto her hand as the young waitress walked over with their starters, placing them on the table before looking at Rick and obviously flirting with him in front of the slightly annoyed detective.

"If there's anything else you want Mr Castle, just call me over" she smiled at her causing Kate to sit up quickly.

"I don't think there's anything else he wants thanks so you can leave now" Kate moaned as the woman turned to look at her before nodding and walking off, Rick's eyebrows rising as he turned to look at the detective who was staring down at the food in front of her. "She's just a bit older than your daughter Rick".

"I know that Kate and that's why I'm not interested, the only person I'm interested in is the detective sitting with me" he smiled as he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against it, watching as a smile appeared on her face. "And to answer your earlier question, when I was younger I loved all the attention I got and I loved it after I got divorced because I needed something to distract me but honestly now, I just like having one woman's attention and it's defiantly not that of a girl who I could be the father of" he explained, Kate looking up slowly before he leant across and pressed a kiss against her lips, the smile growing on her face as they moved away from each other and went back to their food.

"So who is it?" she asked as the waitress walked over, wanting to rub it into the blonde who was continuing to smile at Rick.

"Detective Beckett, you are the only woman who has my attention" he smiled, both of them noticing the smile disappearing off the young woman's face as she disappeared to another table, Kate laughing as she squeezed his hand and stared at the man who was walking towards them with their main course. "I think you've scared her off Kate" he commented.

"Good because I don't share" she smiled, Rick laughing as they stared down at their meals, falling into a comfortable silence. Looking up at her, he smiled as he watched her eat the pasta in front of her, surprised at how beautiful she still looked, her dark hair flowing in light curls while her body remained hidden in the stunning black dress that flattered her perfect figure.

"What's your favourite colour?" he asked, surprise covering her face as she looked up at him and began to think. "What are your favourite pizza toppings? Do you like to dance? Do you play any instruments?" he added as she continued to stare at him before leaning back in the chair, thinking about the questions that he'd just asked.

"I like red, it's a passionate colour and deep "she smiled as he nodded slowly, putting the cutlery down before reaching across and holding onto her hand again. "I love really cheesy pizza, especially when it's stringy it's fun to eat, I'm really childish when it comes to stringy cheese" she laughed, the writer nodding in agreement as she smiled and sighed. "I like to dance but I'm not very good at it, it really depends on the partner and the music I'm dancing too however I will admit that I do dance around my apartment in my pyjamas sometimes" she admitted before biting into her lip. "I play the guitar and I sing".

"You sing, wow, when can I hear you sing Kate? Now I'm excited" he asked in shock as she rolled her eyes in amusement. "I'm going to hear you sing one day Kate, remember that" he laughed before sighing. "You say I'm childish Kate, stringy cheese is one of the most childish things ever" he laughed before she rolled her eyes and kissed his hand gently. "Do you want dessert?" he asked before she shook her head and relaxed. "I'll go and pay and then we'll get going".

XOXOXOXO

"Tonight was amazing" she whispered as they stood outside her apartment, a smile covering her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips, laughing as his hands ran up and down her back. "Are you coming in?" she asked, looking back at her front door as he shook his head.

"I promised Alexis I'd be home tonight, she's got a test and well I want to be there in the morning to wish her luck" he admitted as she nodded and smiled. "However we could be really naughty and you could come to mine, we both sleep better together anyway and Alexis should be fast asleep anyway, it's late" he smiled as she bit into her lip, knowing that her decision was being made on the glass of wine she'd had but also the fact she was still desperate to be with him for as long as she could be.

"If we get caught Rick?" she quickly commented before he rolled his eyes and shrugged, bringing her close as he pressed a kiss against her lips once more and smiled.

"Let's live a little" he whispered onto her lips as she giggled and nodded, unlocking her apartment so she could collect some things, Rick's hand holding onto hers as she smiled, enjoying the new level of their relationship more than she believed she should.


	19. Chapter 19

**I don't know where this chapter came from but I want to up the drama really so I hope you enjoy it. If you don't I'll probably delete it or just try and change it somehow but I hope you enjoy it. Also thank you for the amazing response to the last chapter, I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the fact that I went down the simpler route with the whole date but I just thought it was nicer than extremes. Anyway please review because I do love hearing from you. **

Hearing a knock at his bedroom door, he opened his eyes in a panic, thinking about how his daughter was most likely going to walk in any second to see him holding a sleeping Kate in bed, who was only dressed in his shirt and not much else while their clothes remained thrown across the room in desperation last night.

"Alexis don't come in, I'm not dressed" he immediately announced before slipping the brunette gently out of his arms, Kate stirring in her sleep but not waking up as he climbed out of the bed and began to dress himself in a slightly better way for an appearance in front of his daughter. Opening his door slightly, he looked out to see Alexis standing there dressed with her text book in her arms. "Morning, are you already going to school? Is it that time already?" he asked as she nodded before leaning forward and pressing a kiss against his cheek. "I must of slept in pumpkin, I'm sorry I was going to wake up to make you breakfast today because I know you're worrying about this test" he explained as she shrugged, the smile growing on her face before she walked towards the stairs.

"Have a shower dad, you're covered in lipstick, it's embarrassing to see. If gram was here she would be sending a picture to the papers herself" she announced as he reached up to touch his lips and his cheek, Alexis turning to look at him before laughing. "It isn't just your face dad that she was kissing" she laughed, her eyes rolling as he looked down at his bare chest to see lipstick all over it, his teeth sinking into his lip quickly as she laughed. "I'll see you tonight dad, hopefully you'll be cleaned up by then" she smiled as he stared at her.

"Good luck with the test pumpkin, I know that whatever you get will be the best you could" he smiled as she nodded and crept down the stairs as he snuck back into the room to see Kate sat up in the bed smiling at him. "You detective are in so much trouble" he commented, her teeth sinking into her lip as she smiled, noticing her lipstick all over his upper body.

"You can't say you didn't enjoy it though Mr Castle" she teased before he walked over and pinned her to the bed, a laugh leaving her lips as she kissed him quickly, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as they laughed. "Rick, I really did have a great time last night and I don't just mean the sex" she admitted as he moved away and lay next to her, both of them turning to look at each other as they clung onto each other's hands. "Why don't you go and have a shower like Alexis suggested? You have more lipstick on you than I actually thought possible" she smiled as he rolled his eyes and crept off the bed, Kate watching as he walked towards the en-suite, turning only once he reached the door to stick his tongue out at her, laughter filling the room as she buried herself under the blanket in a fit of giggles.

XOXOXOXO

Slipping out of the shower later that morning, she quickly dried and dressed herself in the spare clothes she'd brought with her last night, the smile growing on her face as she looked into the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair immediately noticing how silent it was. Walking out of the bathroom, she stared at the unmade bed before rolling her eyes and leaving the room in search for the writer.

"Hey Rick where are you? You haven't left me, have you because that really isn't fair?" she asked, confusion filling her voice as she looked across the apartment to see that it was completely empty. Entering the bedroom again, she grabbed her phone and dialled his number, hearing his phone ring from the other side of the room in his jeans pocket from last night, worry covering her face as she put her phone down and grabbed her stuff, chucking it into the bag she'd brought with her before grabbing her mobile and leaving the room. Richard Castle never went anywhere without his phone, she knew that well enough by now and that was why she was scared about him.

Entering the precinct later that day after searching around for the man who had somehow managed to do a disappearing act, she walked towards her desk to see Ryan and Esposito standing there staring at her, confusion covering her face as she looked around for any sign of Castle but finding none.

"Have any of you seen Castle this morning? He's not answering his phone and I've tried calling him for an hour" she asked as both men looked down, immediately indicating that they knew where he was. "Where is he Ryan, Esposito? What's he done now?" she asked quickly as she thought about the possibilities.

"In the interview room, he was arrested this morning for the murder of a teenage girl" Esposito explained as the brunette shook her head in shock, knowing that it wasn't true. "A nineteen year old girl name Megan Matthews, a waitress in an Italian restaurant. She was found stabbed to death in her apartment and well Castle's fingerprints were found on the knife, she died between one and four this morning" he announced as she continued to shake her head, knowing they were wrong.

"You're wrong" she announced, standing quickly as Ryan sighed, knowing that there was strong evidence to show the man's guilt instead of his innocence.

"Beckett, his fingerprints are on the murder weapon, he's the only suspect at the moment" Ryan explained as she stared at him, her head continuing to shake as she stared at both of them.

"Castle couldn't have killed Megan because he was with me all of last night" she admitted before walking off to the interview room in search of the wrongly accused man.

**So what do you think because personally I'm not happy but I needed to get some drama in? **


	20. Chapter 20

He didn't understand what was going on. He remembered waking up in bed with Kate that morning and having her tease him because of his lipstick covered state and then everything else was a horrid memory. The knock at the door, Ryan and Esposito arresting him and leaving him in the small room where he was now sat in a desperate want to talk to Kate who would understand and save him. Save him from the murder he was being blamed for. Hearing the door open behind him, he turned his head to see the familiar brunette standing there, a small smile covering both their faces as he stood up and felt her arms wrap around him as she finally joined him.

"I'm sorry" he whispered, Kate shaking her head as the door opened to reveal Ryan, Esposito and Montgomery, the couple slowly moving away from each other as the two younger male detectives sat down and stared up at Rick. "I'm sitting down, I'm sitting down" he moaned, resitting himself in the seat opposite them as Kate stood there for a moment.

"Can I have a word with you outside Beckett?" Montgomery asked as she nodded and left the room with her boss, Rick watching as she disappeared from sight. Standing in the corridor, Kate smiled at the man in front of her who slowly walked towards his office, confusion covering her face as she followed him, shutting the office door behind her. "Ryan and Esposito have told me that you're Castle's alibi" he explained, sitting himself down in his chair as the brunette bit into her lip, embarrassed about having to discuss this with a man who she saw as a father figure. "I can't have you here while there investigating this case Kate" he said quickly, the brunette staring at him in confusion. "You know the rules Kate; I can't have you here while Rick is involved in the case".

"So you're banning me from the precinct?" she asked, her voice almost weak as she thought about at least a few days without her job.

"Just until the case is over" he sighed, knowing that Kate was angry at his decision. If anyone knew how much time Kate sat in the precinct and how often she was found asleep on the break room couch, it was him. "Beckett you're one of my best detectives but I can't have you here for this, I'm sorry. Just go home, spend some time with Castle, it seems like you two are getting on well at the moment" he commented, as he watched the writer leave the interview room and stare into his office at the brunette. "Your time off starts now" he announced, watching as she stood up and nodded, disappearing out of the office towards the writer.

"You haven't been fired for sleeping with me or something stupid like that have you?" Rick asked as she joined him, her head shaking as they walked towards the lift together, their fingers moving across each other's slowly as they entered the metal box. "Kate, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing the silence she was in as she stood beside him, her fingers linked with his as she bit into her lip.

"I'm not allowed into the precinct until the case is over" she sighed, stepping out of the lift as they reached their floor and she went in search of her car, Rick following her quickly. "I'll drop you back at yours on my way" she added, not turning to look at him as she unlocked her car and slipped in. Joining her a few moments later, he reached across and slipped her hand away from the keys, shocking her as she turned to look at him, his hand running across her cheek.

"I'm sorry Kate" he whispered, Kate shaking her head as she groaned and leant back in the seat, holding his hand in hers as she shut her eyes.

"This job is all I've got Rick" she admitted as she thought about it. "I never miss a day, I work overtime all the time and I just don't like being told I can't do it" she sighed, her eyes opening slowly to see him staring at her, concern filling his eyes as he leant forward and kissed her gently, Kate not submitting herself to the movement. "I'm sorry, I'm not in the mood" she apologized as he nodded, moving away from him slowly as he sighed.

"You're angry with me?" he commented, Kate shaking her head as she turned the car on and began to drive, needing to be in control of one thing at least.

"No, I'm not" she replied, turning the corner before turning the radio on, her mind filling with why's and what's that she wanted to answer at the precinct. Why had Rick's fingerprints been there? What had happened? She just wanted to be doing something to get him out of the frame of the murder of their waitress. "I just feel useless right now Rick, I'm sorry" she apologized again, his head shaking as she began to park outside his apartment block.

"Why don't you come in?" he asked, Kate shaking her head quickly as he stared at her. "We could talk" he added, her head shaking even more. Opening the door, he slipped out of the car before turning around again to look in to see her running her hands through her hair. "The offers going to still be there Kate, no matter what time or what day, there's always a place for you there" he commented before disappearing into the apartment block, a tear running down Kate's face as she began to drive again.

XOXOXOXO

"What's this about you and Castle?" Lanie asked down the phone as Kate lay across her couch, one of Rick's older books resting on her stomach as she listened to her friends shocked voice. "Richard Castle has been the man you've been sleeping with, Kate why didn't you tell me?" Lanie asked as Kate sighed.

"I did, you just didn't believe me" the detective explained as the ME moaned to herself. "Anyway it's only sex, it's not like we're in a relationship" Kate sighed, thinking about how she'd gone from having the perfect first date and spending the night in the bed of them man she found herself beginning to become infatuated with to lying across her couch in her oldest clothes with a book. She was lonely.

"I don't care, I should have been the first to know Detective Beckett not the two muppets" Lanie teased as Kate rolled her eyes quickly. "So is he with you how? Because honestly if I had a week of work Kate, I would not be letting that man out of my sight" Lanie laughed as Kate shut her eyes, thinking about how rude she'd been to the writer that morning.

"Lanie I was horrid to him today after all the nice things he'd done for me" Kate explained as she slowly sat up and stared across the empty apartment. "He took me out on a date last night and it was so lovely and today I was just horrid to him" she sighed, thinking about how she'd behaved in the car towards him. "He invited me around and he was trying to look after me but all I did was think about myself. He was arrested for murder and all I could think about was how he'd gotten me kicked off the job and it wasn't even his fault" she admitted, Lanie groaning as she listened to what Kate said.

"You went on a date? So much for just sex Kate" Lanie commented as Kate rolled her eyes. "Where did you go?" she asked.

"We went to the movies and then he took me to an Italian restaurant where that girl was working, the one who was murdered" she explained as Lanie nodded, sitting herself on the autopsy table as she listened to her friend. "But what does that matter? I was completely horrid to him today" she sighed. "I'm going to go and have a bath, I'll talk to you soon Lanie" Kate commented as she felt herself filling with complete guilt.

"Just don't spend all night beating yourself up about this Kate" Lanie warned as Kate nodded quickly, the two women whispered goodbyes to each other before hanging up. Sitting on the table, Lanie smiled to herself before quickly tapping away at her phone, sending the one text that would start everything off.


	21. Chapter 21

Sighing as she walked around her apartment, freshly showered and now dressed in an old pair of jeans and a red shirt, her dark hair tied back, she slowly moved closer to her couch, a small knock at the door changing her focus. Walking over, she went to reach for the handle but instead stopped as she noticed a piece of paper slipping under her door, a small smile appearing on her face as she bent down to get it.

_Can we try again? _

_If yes open the door. If no keep it closed. _

Biting into her lip to stop herself giggling like a teenager with their first crush, she smiled as she put the note down on the side and went back over to the door, her hand not even lingering over the handle as she opened the door and stared at the writer who was standing there looking at her. Moving closer to him, she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kept her close, his arms slowly moving around her waist as they stood there for a moment.

"Go and put some socks on" he smiled as he looked down at her bare feet, confusion covering her face as he slowly leant in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Trust me, socks" he laughed before she nodded and slipped into her apartment, Rick remaining outside as she ran around in search of some socks, thinking about where she was going that socks would be so important. Finding some, she quickly pulled them on and went in search of some shoes, quickly finding a pair that she could wear before she ran back over to the door. "You look lovely" he commented as she bit into her lip.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked as he shook his head, a laugh leaving her lips as she went back into her apartment to get a coat and her keys, the smile continuing to grow on her face as she walked over to him and he wrapped an arm around her hips as they waked over to the lift, remaining close to each other. Entering the lift, she turned to look at him as he smiled at her. "I'm sorry for how I behaved earlier Rick, it wasn't fair" she apologized as he shrugged; taking the phone out of his pocket and showing her the message that Lanie had sent her. "I'm going to kill her when I next see her" she laughed as she read everything the ME had sent him.

"I was on my way anyway but this made me come that little bit faster" he admitted as Kate rolled her eyes and gave him the phone back. "So I'm taking you out to make up for everything" he explained, her head shaking. "You don't want to go out?" he asked, slightly hurt.

"Of course I do, sorry, I meant it's not you who should be making up for things, I was the one who treated you like rubbish" she explained as he took hold of her hands, the two of them staring at each other quickly as he ran his fingers across her cheek, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as he sighed. "Look why don't we just forget what happened between waking up and right now?" he asked, her head nodding slowly as the doors opened and they slowly left the metal box and everything else behind.

XOXOXOXOX

"Bowling?" she asked in shock as they parked up outside the building, a laugh leaving her lips a few moments later as Rick smiled at her. "I haven't been bowling in ages" she smiled as they parked up and slipped out of the car, his arms wrapping around her as she continued to smile. Entering the building, they quickly collected their shoes and went to their aisle, smiling as they went past families, other couples and children parties, Kate laughing as she sat herself down and began to change shoes.

"Are you good at bowling?" he asked as Kate shrugged, not remembering where she'd come when she'd last come bowling with someone. Standing, she quickly walked over to the icon to change the names on the screen, Rick sliding over the floor to join her, his arms wrapping around her as she giggled lightly. "Beckett and Castle" he smiled as she nodded, typing their names quickly as his fingers ran across hers.

"Stop it or I'll spell it wrong" she giggled, his fingers continuing to run along hers "Castle behave" she warned, pressing the enter button before turning around to face him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she smiled. Moving in like she was going to kiss him, she smiled as she moved her lips as closed to his as she could before they were on them, her teeth catching her bottom lip before she sighed. "You bowl first Rick" she commented as he nodded and slipped away from her. Sitting herself down, she watched him as he rolled the bowling ball down the lane, a smile growing on her face as he knocked down all ten pins, a smile covering his face as he turned to look at her. "Impressive" she commented as they swapped places, Kate taking her turn but ending up with the ball in the gutter.

"Bad luck detective" he smiled as she sat herself down next to him and watched as a zero appeared on the screen beside her name. "I think I've finally found something that I'm better than you at Kate" he laughed as she rolled her eyes, pushing him to stand as he took his go, this time knocking down nine of the pins. Standing up, she slowly took hold of the ball before he crept over and stood behind her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he held his hand against hers, a smile appearing on her face as he moved his legs forcing her to move hers.

"You taught me how to shoot, I'm teaching you how to bowl to repay the favour" he whispered into her ear as she slowly bit into her lip, allowing him to control her body for that moment, his hand moving hers gently before they both bent down, rolling the ball quickly down the lane. Standing, they both watched as it hit all ten pins, Kate practically screaming as she turned and wrapped her arms around him, their lips pressing together as his arms tightened around hers. "My turn" he smiled as she nodded and slipped away from him, returning to her seat while her eyes remained completely fixed on his.

XOXOXOXOX

Sitting in the small diner with her, he smiled as the waitress brought over the milkshake and put it in front of them, a small smile covering Kate's face as he reached across and held her hand. Bringing the straw to her lips, she began to taste the chocolate drink, Rick doing the exact same as they stared at each other for a few moments. Biting into her lip as she moved away from the drink, she relaxed back in her seat, staring at him as he continued to watch her.

"Kate I wanted to ask you something" he commented as she nodded, indicating that she didn't mind him asking whatever he wanted. "My mother's new show starts tomorrow and I have a spare ticket, Alexis and I are both going and I was wondering whether you would join me?" he asked, Kate smiling as she thought about a night out with the Castle family, especially the young redhead who fascinated her.

"I'd love too; do I have to wear anything in particular? Socks?" she smiled as they both laughed at the earlier memory before sighing. "Seriously, do I have to wear a dress?" she asked before he nodded.

"Don't go over the top; just wear something you feel nice in. I want you to be comfortable Kate. It's a night out not a night of torture" he smiled as she nodded and went for another sip of the shared drink. "Alexis would love to see you again anyway, she keeps asking when you're next going to come around for a movie night" he added as Kate smiled.

"Well, I'll defiantly be coming then, I've missed your daughter" she beamed.

"I'll come at get you at seven o'clock tomorrow so be ready" he smiled as they finished the drink and went to pay; their hands joining as they quickly left the building and went towards his car. Both exhausted and in the need to go home to sleep.

**So what do you think? I know it's different but I liked the idea of Kate not being good at something and Castle being better at it. Please tell me what you thought because I do love hearing from all of you and once again thank you for all the amazing reviews. **


	22. Chapter 22

"You're early" she commented as she stood at her apartment door, a smile covering her face as she stared at the writer who was dressed in a smart black suit, a crisp white shirt accompanying it as she bit into her lip. Turning around to look at the clock, she noticed the time before laughing, her arms tightening around the blue dressing gown she was wearing as they entered the apartment and he closed the door behind her. "You're half an hour early Rick, where's Alexis?" she asked quickly.

"She went down to the theatre with my mother to help her get ready and to support her, so I thought I would come and see you perhaps help you get ready" he admitted as he held out a small box, shocking her as she opened it to reveal a silver bracelet. "I saw it and thought of you Kate, it's unique like you but has this extreme beauty to it that you can't help but go and have a second look at it" he smiled as she held her wrist out, watching as he clasped it around her wrist and brought her hand gently to his lips. Pressing a kiss against her skin, he smiled as she giggled lightly and slipped away from him. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Well some of us need to get ready for a night out at the theatre" she laughed, a smile appearing on her face as she walked towards her bedroom. "Look why don't get yourself a drink, sit down?" she asked as he nodded and sat himself down on the couch as Kate entered her bedroom, her eyes not moving off the bracelet on her wrist. "Rick can you come here please?" she asked a few moments later, the smile growing on his face as he entered her bedroom to see her standing there in front of the mirror holding the blue dress up. "Zip me up" she declared as he approached her and slowly did the zip up, pressing kisses along her skin as she giggled lightly.

"You look beautiful" he whispered, his lips moving gently across her neck as she smiled, her hand resting gently on his cheek as she turned to look at him, his arms wrapping tightly around her hips as she kissed him gently. "Thank you for agreeing to come with me" he smiled as they rested their foreheads against each other's, a small sigh leaving her lips as he kept her close. "Can we just stay here forever Kate?" he asked gently.

"No, your mother and daughter are expecting us. What did you tell them about the whole me you?" she asked, worry filling her veins as she began to think about what Alexis knew about the situation. "Does Alexis know that we're sleeping together Rick?" she asked as he slowly shook his head, thinking about how he'd kept everything a secret from his daughter even though the whole precinct knew that they were sleeping together.

"I don't know how to tell her Kate, I thought perhaps we could do it together tonight" he explained, a small smile creeping onto her face as she nodded. "We better get going" he commented a few moments later as she nodded again, smiling to herself as he led her out of her bedroom and pressed a kiss against her cheek as she grabbed her coat and laughed, enjoying having Kate with him.

XOXOXO

"Detective Beckett" Alexis smiled as Kate sat herself beside her, the redhead's arms flinging around the brunette as Rick smiled, enjoying the fact that he had bought box seats so they were separate from everyone else. "What are you doing here?" she asked, Kate turning to look at the writer who was now biting into his lips. "What does it matter, gram will love the fact that you're here" she smiled before relaxing in her seat, Rick slowly taking his beside the detective. As he opened his mouth to speak, he realised that the lights had been turned off and that the curtain was opening, his eyes focusing from the detective to the stage, knowing his mother would question him later on the whole play to see whether he was concentrating.

Turning her head half away through the second act, Alexis smiled as she watched Kate move closer to her dad, his fingers slowly moving towards the detectives as their eyes remained completely fixated on the stage like they were unknown to the fact that they fingers were linking together while they remained practically side by side. Looking back at the stage, the redhead couldn't remove the smile off her face, even when the curtains shut to signify the fact that the show was over.

"Let's go and meet the drama queen" Rick smiled as he stood up, watching as both women put their coats on and smiled at him as he held his arms out, allowing Kate and Alexis to wrap their own arms around one and be led out of the room with him. Walking to the stage door, Kate smiled as Alexis told her father the complete plot of the performance, the redhead's eyes rolling as they waited for the door to open. Watching as it flung open, Kate smiled as Martha ran out, opening her arms as Alexis ran over and hugged her.

"You were amazing gram, you're best performance yet" Alexis smiled as Martha shrugged, the smile remaining on her face as she looked up at the detective who was watching her.

"Detective Beckett, I didn't know you were coming tonight" Martha commented as Kate smiled, looking at Rick whose arm was still wrapped around hers. "Is there something you two want to tell us?" she suggested, her eyebrows rising as both redheads stared at them wondering the same thing.

"No mother, nothing like that. It's just that Beckett's been a little low and I thought coming to see you perform would cheer her up that's all. Just friends" he smiled as Kate slowly nodded, annoyed that he hadn't come open about everything like she'd willingly done at the precinct to save him. "Now why don't we head back to the apartment and have a drink to celebrate your amazing performance mother?" he suggested, Martha immediately nodding at the word drink as she walked down the alley, her arms wrapped around her granddaughter as they discussed the play. "Kate is everything okay?" he asked as she slowly nodded, now not smiling as she moved her arm from his and walked down the alley after Martha and Alexis, leaving him slightly confused before he realised they were going to go without him, forcing him to run after them. Reaching Kate, he slowly went to hold her hand, surprised as she pulled hers away and continued to walk on, not bothering to even look at him as she slipped into the car that was waiting for them.

**Reviews mean I update quicker, honestly! I know this chapters short but the next one is going to be longer, I promise so I hope to have that up tomorrow depending on how many reviews I get today. Anyway thanks for reading and for all previous comments. **


	23. Chapter 23

"Word" he whispered into her ear as he brushed passed her as they entered his apartment with his mother and daughter, Alexis smiling as she joined her grandmother in making drinks. Slipping into his study slowly, Rick waited before there was a knock at the door. "You don't need to knock" he smiled, amazed and surprised as his daughter slipped into the study with his drink, forcing him to stand up from where he'd been sat on his desk. "Where's Beckett?" he asked gently as Alexis sat herself down on the chair and smiled at her father.

"She just went home, gran passed her a drink and she just told us that she felt ill and wanted to go home to bed" Alexis admitted as Rick ran his fingers through his hair, realising that he'd upset the detective badly. "What did you do dad?" she asked as Rick shook his head and sighed, hating himself for not being able to be honest about what was going on to the people he was most open with. "If you hurry dad, you should be able to catch up with her" she whispered as he nodded and sped out of the room, Alexis running to the door quickly. "And then you can come back and explain what you did to upset her?" she screamed after him, Martha watching the whole scene in confusion.

"What's going on now?" Martha asked as Alexis shrugged, both of them completely confused by the whole situation that had just played out in front of them.

Running down the stairs, two at a time, he slid into the lobby to see the lift doors opening and Kate slowly walking out of them, her arms down by her sides as she kept her head down so she was looking at the floor and not making eye contact with anyone. Running towards her, he grabbed her arm causing her to jump before she looked at him and groaned.

"Rick I'm not feeling well" she commented quickly as he ran his hand to her cheek, her dark eyes staring into his blue ones as he ran his fingers across her cheek. "Please Rick, I just want to go home, I'm tired and I'm not thinking straight right now" she muttered, his other arm wrapping around her waist to keep her close as he continued to stroke her cheek.

"I'm sorry Kate, I'm sorry that I'm a coward and that I didn't tell them about us when I had the chance, I'll do anything to make it up to you" he explained as she bit into her lip, stopping herself from showing the emotions that were threatening to appear on her face. "All I've done this week is hurt you. I get you taken off a case at work because I'm the one who's accused of murder and then I don't keep the one promise I made you" he sighed as she stared at him. "What sort of a person does that make me?" he asked.

"It's not that Rick" she admitted, confusing him slightly as she stared at him. "I just don't know what I am to you anymore and well I thought we were more than just friends" she explained, embarrassed about the fact that she was feeling more towards him than he seemed to be feeling towards her. Bringing her slightly closer with the arm that was wrapped around her waist; he rested his forehead against hers as she sighed. "I just want to know what I am to you, I want to know where I stand" she admitted as he smiled at her.

"Look, I want to have this conversation but do you mind if we have it in my apartment rather than in the lobby where everyone can see us?" he asked as she slowly nodded, allowing him to take hold of her hand and lead her towards the lift. Entering his apartment, he listened to the silence that filled the building, a laugh leaving his lips as he looked around to see a note on the side from Alexis telling him that both Alexis and Martha had gone to bed and they expected him to explain what was going on in the morning. "Do you want a drink?" he asked as she slowly shook her head, just wanting to get the conversation going. Sitting down on the couch, Rick smiled as she slowly sat herself beside him, Rick clinging onto her hand as she stared at him with tears in her eyes, for some reason unable to control them. "I never meant to hurt you Kate, it's just all I seem to do" he explained as Kate stared at him.

"Why didn't you just tell them Rick? Why brush it off and say we're just friends when the opportunity was right there?" she asked as he sighed, moving slightly closer to her as she began to tense up, surprised at how she was reacting.

"Because if I'm honest Kate, I don't know what we are either. It's more than just sex now Kate, we both know that" he explained as he looked down at their joined hands. "I just didn't know how to tell my daughter and mother that you're the woman I'm sleeping with because Kate you're so much more than that" he insisted as she bit into her lip.

"What do you mean so much more than that?" she asked as he sighed, his arm wrapping around her as she moved closer to him, enjoying the comfort that she always found in his arms.

"You're my partner at work, my best friend, the person I trust, the woman who makes me happy so I think that's a lot more than just the woman I sleep with occasionally" he announced as she continued to bite into his lip. "In the past I've slept with so many women on occasions and I've had flings, I did have a reputation of being a womanizer Kate and I regret that but you're not one of those women. You are so much more than that to me" he explained into her hair as she smiled.

"Why is it that whenever I get cross at you, I always seem to end up back in your arms?" she asked as he laughed, shrugging as she looked up at him. "Rick what am I to you because that's all I need to know?" she asked as she slowly moved so she was straddling him, her wrapping around his neck as he stared at her.

"I guess the only way I can describe you Kate is as the woman I'd really like to go out with and date" he smiled as she slowly nodded. "What am I to you Katherine Beckett?" he asked as she leant forward and pressed a kiss against his forehead.

"I guess that you're the man that I really want to date Richard Castle" she admitted as he smiled. "Because when I'm not annoyed at you, you're actually a really sweet guy. The sweetest one I've ever known".

"Am I forgiven?" he asked as she shook her head quickly, not surprising him as he watched her, his arms remaining wrapped around her.

"Not completely" she smiled as he laughed. "Not until you tell Alexis and Martha, I'm fed up of being your dirty little secret Rick. If we're going to date, then I want them to know about us, it's not fair that the precinct already know anyway" she explained as he smiled and nodded.

"Tomorrow night. Let's go out for dinner, the four of us. I can tell them then" he suggested as she nodded, glad that he was finally starting to grow up and take some responsibility for their crazy relationship.

**I have no idea why this chapter came out the way it did but for some reason I couldn't write a scene of them arguing with each other so it came out like this. In the next chapter Alexis and Martha find out so that's another reason I couldn't have a major argument in this chapter because the way I want them to find out wouldn't work then. Hopefully you don't mind it and still review and continue to read. Anyway thank you for the amazing reviews on the last chapter, I really do love hearing from you. **


	24. Chapter 24

**I'm sorry it took so long for me to update in comparison to normal but I've been busy and well, I'm not that impressed with this chapter but its leading places that should hopefully be good. It's not much drama but more getting the story going on its journey. Please review, I really do love hearing from you and thank you for all previous responses, I know I don't reply to them very often but I promise to try harder in the future to show my appreciation. **

"Oww" the redhead moaned as she fell over something and landed on the floor of the landing. Groaning, she slowly sat up and stared at the object she'd fallen over, a laugh leaving her lips as she realised it was the same shoe that Kate Beckett had been wearing last night at the theatre, her head turning to see the other one closer to her father's door. Biting into her lip, she stood up and crept down the corridor, her hand pushing against her father's door before she smiled as she saw Kate Beckett asleep in her father's arms, her head resting against his bare chest. Running down the corridor, she quickly hit Martha's door before running into the room to see her grandmother sat up and staring at her, exhaustion covering her face.

"Alexis Castle what the hell are you doing waking me up in the early hours of the morning? I'm exhausted" she moaned as Alexis pointed down the corridor, confusing her grandmother even more as she slipped out of bed and walked towards the door, noticing Rick's clothes and Kate's shoes that were littering the corridor. "Now I understand why you woke me up" she smiled before running down the corridor, Alexis rolling her eyes as she followed her grandmother to her father's door. Clearing her throat, Martha smiled as Alexis hit her as Rick began to wake up.

"Oh my god what are you doing?" Rick asked as he stared at his mother and daughter. "Mother this is one step too far" he warned, throwing a cushion at the two redheads as they laughed, Kate slowly moving as she began to wake up herself. "Mother, daughter out now" he practically screamed as they laughed and shut the door as Kate slowly groaned, her eyes opening to reveal the writer who was already staring at her. Moving slowly as he lay down, she rested her chin on the hands that were on his chest, a small smile appearing on her face as he ran his fingers through her dark hair. "They know" he commented, breaking the comfortable silence that had been filling the room.

"How?" she asked before groaning, remembering the sound of chatting as she'd began to wake up but none of the voices had been particularly clear. "They saw us didn't they?" she smiled as he slowly nodded, his fingers continuing to run through her hair as she placed her head down on her hands and sighed, enjoying the feeling of being close to him. Lying in silence for a moment, they both laughed as they heard the sound of cooking from downstairs, worry filling Rick's veins as he thought about his mother being let lose in his precious kitchen.

"Do you mind if we go downstairs?" he asked, Kate shaking her head as she sat up, her back facing him as she reached across to grab his shirt, a small laugh leaving her lips as she felt his lips slowly move up her spine. Pulling the shirt on, she rolled her eyes as she heard him groan from the withdrawal of her bare skin from his lips. Standing, she pulled on her underwear before checking how long the shirt was on her, nodding to herself as she noticed that it passed her mid-thigh and was almost the length of the dress she'd worn the night before. "You're beautiful" he commented, watching in complete amazement as she ran her own hand through her hair, trying to calm the wild mess as he slipped out of the bed and began to dress himself.

Walking down the stairs with her a few moments later, he smiled as the two redhead's stared at them from the kitchen, happiness clearly painted across Alexis' face as he slowly slipped his arm around the detective. Running over, Alexis stood in front of them as Kate smiled at her gently, the teenager's arms quickly flinging around her, shocking the detective as she stood there for a moment, embarrassed that she was only wearing Rick's shirt and one of his jumpers to cover herself up after what she knew the teenager had discovered about them.

"I'm so happy about you two" Alexis smiled as she moved away, the smile not disappearing off her face as Kate laughed and looked up at the beaming writer.

"I am not feeling the love here Alexis" he commented, the teenager rolling her eyes before she found herself buried within her father arms, his lips pressing into her red hair as they remained close to each other for a minute, the smell of bacon filling the room quickly. Remaining with his daughter in his arms, Rick smiled as he kept his eyes shut; only opening them as he heard the sound of running up the stairs, his eyes catching a glimpse of Kate disappearing into the bedroom again. Slipping out of his arms, Alexis watched as her father ran up the stairs after the brunette, Martha walking up behind her to rest her hands on her shoulder.

"I think there sweet" Alexis commented, Martha only nodding in agreement as she continued to stare at the door that the two adults had disappeared behind.

Entering the bedroom, Rick listened to the sound of her coughing in the en-suite, worry filling his veins as he approached the door and gently knocked on it before slipping into the room to reveal her sat in front of the toilet, her hands running through her hair as she groaned. Moving gently behind her, he sighed as she immediately moved as fast as she could, the smell of vomit filling the air as he held her dark hair back from her face, her body moving back to rest against his as she finally began to feel slightly more human.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, annoyed at herself for ruining the morning already. "You didn't have to sit with me" she commented, his eyes rolling as he pressed a kiss against the top of her head, a small smile appearing on her pale face as colour began to return to her cheeks. "I'm not really hungry Castle, is it okay if I just have a shower and get dressed?" she asked, the writer nodding quickly as he helped her off the floor and held her for a while in his arms.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me, just shout and I'll see what I can do to help you" he smiled, his hand holding onto hers as they moved away from each other slightly. Watching as he slowly left the room, she felt the smile remain on her face as she watched the shut door for a moment before turning the shower on, wanting to remove the feeling of illness from her presence, another groan leaving her lips as she felt her stomach turn again.

**So, that's the chapter. What do you think? It's a true fact that the more reviews you get, the more you want to write, not like I'm hinting or anything though. **


	25. Chapter 25

Entering the small restaurant later that evening, Kate smiled as she saw the Castle family already sat the table, Rick smiling at her as he stood up and walked over to her, his arms wrapping around her as he quickly pressed his lips to her. Leading her towards the table, he smiled as he continued to hold onto her hand while Martha and Alexis continued to smile at her. Taking their seats, Kate smiled as she ran her fingers across his under the table, having his hand there giving her the secret confidence that she needed from him. She hadn't met any of her previous boyfriend's parents before because none of her relationships had ever got that serious and she wasn't really a family person but being around his family made it seem more real.

"So how long have you two been seeing each other for because I honestly had no idea?" Martha asked, not waiting any time as Rick and Kate both laughed and looked at each other.

"I did" Alexis commented, gaining all of their attention as she smiled. "In the theatre, you were sat as close as you could get to each other and you kept reaching for each other's hands throughout the whole thing, like you didn't want to let go of each other so I knew something had to be going on" she explained as they laughed and nodded, neither the detective or writer surprised that the young redhead had known. "But how long have you two been together?" she asked.

"Not long around twenty four hours really" the writer smiled as the detective laughed and nodded, knowing that they hadn't really been classified as in a relationship for long. "But we've been seeing each other out of a relationship for a bit longer, around six months now" he added, Alexis rolling her eyes as she watched the smile grow on her father's face at her expression.

"Well I'm happy for you, even though in typical fashion it didn't start normally" Alexis smiled. "Even though your shoe really hurt my foot this morning Detective" she added as Kate bit into her lip, her cheeks turning pink as she thought about the night before and she hadn't really thought about how their clothes were going to give them away that night, she was too busy with her hands down his boxers.

"Alexis, can you please call me Kate? I'm not working now" she asked as she stared at the young redhead who quickly nodded, the smile growing on Rick's face as he watched them.

"Right I'm in a desperate need of a drink and some food, I don't care if you're not, I am ordering" Martha smiled, getting them to change their attentions to the menu's in front of them as Rick's hand continued to run up and down the detective's thigh. Choosing what they wanted, they quickly ordered from the young waitress whose attentions were immediately on Rick as she brought over their drinks, worry filling Kate's veins as she remembered the young waitress who had died after an evening of flirting with the writer. "I'm glad you two got together, there's always been this chemistry between you since day one and we both love you" Martha smiled as she looked at Alexis who nodded before turning to watch the couple opposite them.

"Thanks Martha, Alexis" Kate smiled as she watched the young brunette walk over with their drinks, a small smile appearing on her face as Rick thanked her, Kate's eyes rolling quickly as she prepared herself for another night of Rick being flirted with.

XOXOXOXO

Laughing as Martha retold stories of Rick's childhood; Kate smiled as she looked at the man whose cheeks were burning bright red as he glared at his mother. The detective was surprised at how easy the meal had been and how all the fears from that morning had disappeared the moment she'd arrived.

"Mother I think that's enough of the embarrassing stories please" he begged as the redhead shrugged, taking another sip of the red wine in front of her as Alexis just watched, knowing all the stories that had been recited off by heart from her own childhood. "Alexis?" he asked, a smile appearing on his face as he watched a yawn leave his daughter's lips as he stood up slowly. "I think it's time to pay, someone needs to get to bed" he commented, flagging down the waitress as Kate nodded. Paying quickly, he helped Kate back into her coat before smiling, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as they walked out of the restaurant together.

"Thank you for tonight" she commented as they left the building together, walking towards her car as she smiled at him, watching as Martha and Alexis waved goodbye and climbed into a waiting cab. "I enjoyed getting to know them, Alexis is an amazing young woman Rick" she added.

"Don't say that? She's still my little girl, she is not a young woman yet" he laughed as she rolled her eyes and pressed a kiss onto his nose, their foreheads resting against each other's as he sighed. "Are you going to stay tonight? I'd love it if you would" he smiled, his hand taking hold of hers as she smiled and nodded.

"I'd love too, I've got rather used to your snoring now" she laughed, her smile growing as she watched him glare at her. "Okay, you don't snore that much" she sighed, his arms wrapping around her as she relaxed in them, enjoying the comfort and warmth she always found in them. "I have a bag in the car anyway so I don't have to go home to change tomorrow, I thought I'd be prepared this time" she smiled as he nodded, the two of them climbing into her car in a comfortable silence as they thought about how well the evening had gone.

XOXOXOO

Lying on his bed in just his shirt, she stared up at the ceiling, her hands resting on her stomach as he left the en-suite and watched her for a moment, amazed at how still and silent she was as she lay there in her own world.

"Kate?" he asked as he walked over and slipped onto his side of the bed, his body resting on its side as he stared at her, noticing how she was still staring up at the ceiling. "Something's wrong" he observed, her eyes shutting for a moment before she turned to rest on her side, her eyes locking onto his as she just stared for a moment. "You can tell me anything" he whispered.

"I think I'm pregnant" she admitted, her head turning so she was looking at him as he stared at her in shock, her hand slowly running down his cheek as his moved to her stomach, his eyes not moving from hers as she sighed. "Rick, what are you thinking?" she asked as his eyes finally moved from hers to look down at where his hands were resting, his mind filling with thoughts.

**What do you think? I just wanted to thank you all for the amazing response to the last chapter, it received one of the highest amount of reviews I've had for this story yet so I thank you and hope to hear from you all again with this one. **


	26. Chapter 26

"I can't think right now, it's just wow, a baby" he commented, worrying her as she stared at him as he kept his hands gently on her stomach. "I need to know, I don't want to get my hopes up if you're not pregnant Kate" he explained as she slowly nodded, her arm reaching out to grab her bag which was resting on the table. Opening it, she pulled out the box that she had purchased earlier with the test in, a small nervous smile appearing on both their faces as they sat up and sighed. "Do you want to do it now?" he asked, his eyes locking on hers as she slowly nodded and slipped off the bed, her whole body shaking with both fear and excitement.

"Rick I'm scared" she admitted, worry filling her veins as she thought about everything. In the next few minutes she could become a mom, she was going to have a baby and she hadn't even thought about having a child yet, if ever and that's what nerved her. What sort of a mother would she be if she hadn't even thought about having a baby yet? Feeling his lips on her forehead, she smiled as he held her close, pressing the box into her hands as she continued to stare into his blue eyes, knowing he wouldn't run away if she was. Richard Castle wouldn't run off because she'd gotten pregnant, he'd married one woman because of the fact and she knew how much he adored children and he would never abandon his own. She'd seen him with Alexis and knew he'd be an amazing father to their child if she was pregnant.

"I'll be right here" he said simply as she walked backwards towards the en-suite, her eyes not moving off his as she stopped by the door. "Always" he promised, a small smile appearing on her face as she noticed the sincerity that covered his face, bringing her the confidence she needed to step into the room and do the one test she'd never planned.

The next few moments past slowly, Rick pacing up and down the bedroom while waiting as Kate stood in the bathroom, waiting for the test to be completed. Opening the door slowly, she stood there, staring out at him as he stopped pacing and stared at her, waiting. Smiling, she felt the tears run down her cheek as she began to nod, his arms wrapping around her as he lifted her into the air, a squeal leaving her lips as she slowly stared at him, her fingers running across his cheek as they moved closer and she pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Rick we need to talk about this" she admitted as they stood there for a moment, his hands pressed on her stomach as hers moved to join his. "It's a big thing Rick, having a baby together when we've honestly just started a relationship" she sighed, his hand moving from under hers to rest on top of it.

"Kate, can we just have one moment where you don't think about the future?" he asked, a small smile appearing on his face as she slowly nodded. "How do you feel about this Kate? It's a big change for you" he admitted as she sighed, moving away slowly to sit herself down on the bed and relax, Rick quickly joining her as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I've had a daughter already by accident and she's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I have all the time in the world to dedicate to a child but you've got your job and I know how much you wanted to wait until you were married and had a proper relationship before they even thought about kids" he admitted as she looked up at him.

"Honestly Rick, what luck have I got in getting married with my job?" she asked as he rolled his eyes. "I want a baby and although it's not how I planned, you're my best friend and I trust you. I know that you'll look after both of us" she smiled, resting against him as they sighed. "But tomorrow we have to talk about this Rick, plan what we're going to do" she ordered as he nodded, smiling as she moved up and pressed a kiss against his forehead. "You will look after us?" she asked, her voice sincere with worry as he ran his fingers across her cheek.

"I would marry you if I knew it would be what you wanted but I know you Kate. You want love, respect, not a quick marriage because I've got you pregnant" he admitted, a smile growing on both their faces as she stared at him, her fingers running across his cheek as she stared at him. "I won't make the same mistake as I made with Meredith Kate, I got her pregnant accidentally and I might have done it again but at least with you we can get through this properly".

"You would honestly marry me if it's what I wanted?" she asked, a laugh leaving both their lips as she stared at the ceiling, her hand remaining on her stomach as she smiled. "I'm pregnant Rick" she smiled as he nodded. "You do know that means I have to put with you forever, I'll probably end up wanting to shoot you more than ever".

"It will be worth it Kate to just have a baby with your eyes" he admitted, shocking her slightly as she smiled, her thoughts running to that of a child with their features and the rest of her life with Richard Castle, these thoughts causing her to fall asleep in his arms once again where she felt safe, their hands resting perfectly on her stomach, keeping their secret safe.

**Right I know it's short but the next one will be longer, I promise. Anyway, I dislike the ending but hopefully you enjoyed it and review. The response to the last chapter was amazing and I do love hearing from you. I most likely will update again tomorrow if I get a good amount of reviews! **


	27. Chapter 27

"Meet your baby" the doctor smiled as they stared at the ultrasound image on the screen, amazement covering Kate's face as she felt a tear run down her cheek as Rick clutched onto her hand, bringing it to his lips quickly as she laughed. "I'll just go and print you some copies and leave you alone for a moment" he smiled, disappearing from the room quickly as they continued to stare at the image on the screen, Kate turning her head to look at the man who was beaming at the image.

"Wow, there's actually a baby in there" Kate smiled as her hand ran to her tiny bump, a laugh leaving Rick's lips as he rolled his eyes and slowly kissed her, his hand running to join hers. "I was starting to worry it was because of all the food you're feeding me" she laughed as he glared at her, Kate smiling as she pressed a kiss to his nose and watched as the doctor walked in holding their photos. Taking the photos, Rick smiled as Kate sat up and began to pull her shirt down, her hands remaining on her stomach as they said their goodbyes and quickly left, the brunette detective quickly pulling her coat on to cover the small bump as much as she could. Although twelve weeks pregnant, neither Kate nor Rick had told anyone and it was beginning to become more major now she was starting to show.

"I'll see you at the precinct in about an hour" he commented as they walked out of the building together, Kate desperately trying to stop her hands resting on her stomach after all the panic that the press might catch some image and start something in the papers that she didn't want. "Then we'll go to lunch with my mother and Alexis and tell them everything about the baby" he announced, surprising her as she remembered what they'd organised the night before and nodded. Walking over to her, he slowly took hold of her hand as they stood by her car, a smile covering his face as she stared at him, their hands resting on her stomach as she bit into her lip. "What's wrong Katie?" he asked.

"I just don't feel ready to tell everyone yet" she admitted, knowing that it was wrong to have kept it from Alexis for as long as they had. "I'm not ready for everyone to start judging me Rick about what we did" she explained as he quickly pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss into her hair, her eyes shutting as she rested her head against his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just a shock. We're having a baby Rick, it hadn't really hit me yet" she smiled, looking up quickly as he stared at her and nodded.

"Look if you're not ready to tell them, we don't have to today but we're going to have to soon Kate" he admitted as she nodded slowly. "We can't keep bump a secret forever though".

"Bump?" she asked as he beamed. "You're calling our baby bump Rick?" she laughed.

"I couldn't think of anything else and it was fitting for the moment" he smiled as she rolled her eyes and laughed. "So lunch?" he asked, desperately hoping she'd agree to tell his daughter. The past few weeks had been the hardest of his life as he hated keeping things from his daughter who seemed to know when something was going on.

"We'll tell them" she smiled, laughing as he cheered and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "Right, I've got to go and see Montgomery so I shall see you in an hour Castle" she smiled as she unlocked her car and slipped in, waving at him before she began to drive off, knowing that he was going to watch her until she'd disappeared from sight.

XOOXXOXO

Entering Montgomery's office, she slowly sat down as he stared at her, worry covering his face as he watched one of his best detective's fiddle with one of the pens on his desk, unable to look at him in the eye like the normally strong and confident Detective Beckett could.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" he asked, the concern in her voice causing her to smile as she reached into her bag and took out the photo she'd received earlier. "Kate?" he asked, watching as she put it face down on the table and slid it over to him, desperately hoping no one else would know. Lifting it up, he stared at the image before smiling and looking up at her. "How far along?" he asked.

"Twelve weeks" she admitted as he nodded. "You're the first person I've told but we decided it would be practical for you to know especially now that I'm starting to show and well field work is becoming more of an argument at home" she explained, thinking about the nights where they'd gone back to hers and Rick had practically screamed at her about hers and their babies safety after some sort of event in the field.

"By we you mean Castle right?" he commented as she nodded, the smile growing on his face as he looked at her. "You're tiny compared to my wife, at twelve weeks she was huge but don't tell her I said that" he smiled as she laughed, her hands running to her stomach as she thought about her bump. "Well congratulations Kate, to you and Castle. You'll be an amazing mom" he smiled as they both stood up, Kate slipping the picture back into her bag before they laughed. "Anything you need Beckett, I'm always here".

"Thanks" she smiled before walking out of the room, Ryan and Esposito staring at her as she crossed her arms. "What?" she asked quickly as they shook their heads and returned to their work, her eyes rolling as she returned to her seat.

"Oh yeah Beckett, Lanie wants to see you" Esposito commented, not looking up from his work as she groaned and began to walk towards the lift. After watching her disappear, both men looked at each other before shrugging. "What's going on there then?" he asked, Ryan shrugging as they both began to think about what Beckett needed to see Montgomery about and why they had both come out of it smiling.

XOXOXOXO

"There you are, I have been waiting for ages to talk to you" Lanie moaned as she watched the detective walk into the room, slipping on something and dropping her bag, all of its contents flying across the floor. Getting to her knees, Kate quickly started to grab for everything, wanting to hide the picture before Lanie could find it. "What's this?" Lanie asked, lifting the image into her hands as Kate looked up from the floor and bit into her lip. Turning the picture around, Lanie raised her eyebrows as she stared at her friend who was knelt on the floor, teeth sunk into her bottom lip as she sighed. "Katherine Beckett are you pregnant?" she asked, Kate nodding quickly causing Lanie to squeal as the detective stood up and sighed.

"Twelve weeks and it's a secret which means you can't text Esposito after I've left" she commented as her friend continued to stare at the picture before looking at her stomach. "Yes there's a baby in there even though it doesn't' look it but Montgomery says I'm smaller than what his wife was at the same time but the doctor says everything's going fine" she admitted, Lanie crossing her arms as she slid onto one of the autopsy tables.

"You told Montgomery before you told me. I'm your best friend Kate and you don't tell me you're pregnant. I feel betrayed" she laughed as Kate rolled her eyes at her. "Is it Castles?" she asked quickly, Kate nodding as the woman squealed again. "I can't believe you're going to have a baby Kate" she smiled, neither of them hearing the door open.

"You're having a what?" a familiar voice asked causing both women to turn to see Ryan and Esposito stood there in shock. "Beckett you're pregnant?" Ryan asked as Kate nodded, taking the photo from Lanie to show to the two men who smiled at her, Esposito pulling her into his arms as she laughed, feeling slightly better at the fact that her family now knew about her secret, her mind beginning to understand why Rick was so desperate to tell his own.

"Why do I feel like I'm missing out on a party?" Rick asked from the doorway a few moments later as he stared in at the two male detectives who were hugging Kate while Lanie continued to beam. "I come in looking for you and I find you all hiding down here, did you all do something wrong and Montgomery sent you down here to serve your punishments with the corpses?" he asked as Kate rolled her eyes at him as everyone laughed.

"Congratulations Castle" Lanie smiled as Rick realised the photo that was in Esposito's hand was that of their baby.

"Yeah congratulations Castle" Ryan and Esposito nodded as Rick stared at the brunette who bit into her lip quickly.

"Beckett didn't tell us, someone else did" Ryan admitted as they all looked at Lanie, Rick raising his eyebrows as the ME crossed her arms across her chest and sighed.

"Well if you weren't listening in to our conversations, you would be none the wiser" she warned as everyone laughed, the writer quickly walking over to join the detective who moved closer to him, his arms wrapping around her as their hands rested on her stomach. "But congratulations" she beamed as the two male detectives nodded and laughed.

"I didn't tell Lanie by the way, she went through my bag and found the photo" Kate commented as Rick rolled his eyes, laughing at the whole situation in general.

**Thank you for the amazing reviews to the last few chapters, I love hearing from all of you. I'm not particularly sure on this chapter but I wanted to get the story moving so I did a time jump which I don't do very often. Please review because I really do love hearing from you and the next chapter will be them telling actual blood relatives (Alexis, Martha, Jim) which I will start working on now. Anyway thank you and goodbye for this chapter! **


	28. Chapter 28

"So why did you call this lunch Richard?" Martha asked as she sat at the table next to her smiling granddaughter, the two of them looking at Kate and Rick whose hands were resting on her stomach under the table, their hands clinging onto each other's in a desperate need for confidence. Kate had been scared earlier about telling the two redhead's about the baby but now she was terrified, scared that they wouldn't be happy about the fact there would be a new member to their family.

"Well Kate and I have something important to tell you" he explained, staring at his mother and daughter as Kate reached into her bag and pulled out the photo that she'd used to tell everyone, passing it quickly to the writer who smiled at it and quickly passed it to his mother and daughter who stared at it in shock. "We're having a baby" he smiled, shocked when Alexis stood up and quietly excused herself, disappearing into the bathroom as all three adults watched her disappear behind the door. "That didn't go exactly how I planned" he admitted, Martha rolling her eyes as Kate stared at him.

"What did you expect Castle?" she asked, standing quickly before disappearing in the same direction as Alexis had a few moments later, Rick watching in confusion as his mother shook her head at him.

"Do you think that's a good plan?" he asked, staring at the older redhead who slowly nodded. "Maybe we should…" he began before she glared at him causing him to fall silent as he remembered what that look meant.

"Rick, they need to sort this out between themselves. Not everything needs your assistance" she explained, staring down at the picture again. "I can't believe you got another woman pregnant Richard, have you ever heard of protection?" she asked, watching as he buried his head into his hands, groaning as he prepared himself for the same lecture he'd been given after he told his mother that Meredith was pregnant with Alexis. "Don't you ever learn?" she asked, shaking her head as he thought about how in his heart he'd know this was coming.

Slipping into the bathroom, Kate smiled at the redhead who was staring into the mirror; the room empty as the detective approached her and touched her shoulder, Alexis moving away quickly as Kate sighed, her hand running to her stomach as she stared at the teenager.

"I'm not cross at you Kate" Alexis admitted, looking up slowly so her eyes were staring into the detective's. "It's just it's no secret that I was a mistake, my mother likes to remind me of that all the time and well I know the whole reason that mom and dad got married was because she was pregnant with me but I thought he would have learnt his lesson through all of that" she admitted, a tear running down her cheek as Kate stared at her, her hand reaching for Alexis'. "I just don't want my dad to get hurt if you find someone else, you've only been an official couple for just over a month Kate and you're pregnant. What if he's not what you want and you leave? What happens to the baby and my dad? What happens to me?" she asked, tears running down her cheek as Kate pulled her into her arms.

"Alexis, I will never leave my baby or you Alexis. I won't ever do what your mom did to you" she sighed, pressing a kiss into the redhead's hair. "I like your dad Alexis I really do and if I'm honest, I wouldn't have kept this baby if I didn't think this would work but I don't want you to feel like this" she whispered, holding her close as Alexis wrapped her arms around the detective. "I don't want you to be angry at your dad for something that is half my fault. Yes we should have thought about this better but well I'm happy, your dad's happy and I would love it if you were happy as well" she admitted. "I want you to be happy that you're going to have a brother or sister not upset because you're scared that I'm going to abandon them like Meredith did to you" Kate admitted as Alexis looked up at her, her face red from crying as Kate slowly ran her fingers across her cheek.

"You won't leave us will you Kate because I really like having you around?" Alexis asked, her voice similar to a small child as Kate shook her head and sighed. "I'm happy for you Kate, I really am and you're going to be an amazing mom, I'm just shocked" she admitted as Kate nodded and sighed, her arms wrapping around her quickly as Alexis relaxed.

"Look why don't you come around tonight? I think it's time we got to know each other" Kate suggested as the redhead nodded, the two of them opening the door slowly to reveal Martha still lecturing Rick, the two of them smiling as they watched. "Anyway, I think your gram is going to keep lecturing him for a while" she smiled as Alexis nodded and hugged her, the two of them quickly walking back to the table.

"Is everything okay?" Rick asked as he stared at them, Alexis nodding quickly as Kate smiled at her.

"Oh yeah, dad is it okay if I go to Kate's tonight? We're going to have a girly night in" Alexis asked as both of them smiled at him, shock covering his face as Martha laughed and took a sip of the wine in front of her, Rick nodding quickly as Alexis began to relax.

"A girly night?" Rick asked as the waitress walked over with their food, Kate nodding as he stared at him. "What will you two be doing on your girly night together?" he asked as Kate sighed, staring at the meal in front of her before turning to look at him.

"Well we'll be watching movies, eating ice cream, gossiping and doing girly things. You know the normal discussions of clothes, school…" she began before waiting, smiling as Rick began to drink his drink. "And of course boys, that's the most important part" she smiled, the writer choking on his drink as Kate smiled to herself, Alexis laughing as she stared at her father, the older redhead rolling her eyes before starting to eat.

"I'm beginning to think that you're a bad influence on my daughter detective" he commented as he watched Kate eat the pasta in front of her, the smile growing on her face as Alexis laughed.

"Well I need to ask someone all those questions that I can't ask you" Alexis smiled, deciding to join in as Kate bit into her lip to stop herself from laughing at Rick's shocked face.

"Hey I thought you could ask me anything, we agreed on that pumpkin" he smiled as Alexis shrugged at him.

"Well I can't exactly ask you about sex dad, it's embarrassing to ask you those questions that I need to ask a woman about dad" she smiled, Rick immediately choking on his food as all three women laughed at his face, Kate hitting him on the back gently as Alexis beamed at him. Calming himself down, he slowly turned to look at the detective who was smiling beside him, her hand resting on her bump as she smiled.

"Yeah, I've decided you're a bad influence on my daughter Beckett" he simply said before eating his meal, smiles on all their faces as they ate their meals in silence, enjoying the atmosphere that was around in comparison to earlier.

XOXOXOXOXO

"Hey Alexis" Kate smiled as she stood in the doorway of her apartment, smiling at the redhead who was stood beside her father. Turning around, Alexis quickly pressed a kiss against Rick's cheek before entering the building. "Go and sit down, I'll be a minute" she smiled, watching as Alexis disappeared with her bag, Rick's arms wrapping around her as she laughed.

"She wouldn't tell me about what happened at the restaurant" he admitted as Kate quickly kissed him. "Kate, is she okay with everything? Especially the baby?" he asked, his concern bringing a smile to her face as she sighed and held onto his hands.

"Rick we just need to get to know each other, that's all" Kate smiled, kissing him again quickly as he sighed and held her close. "Look, have a good night, do whatever you did before you met me. Go out for a drink with Ryan and Esposito, they'll want to congratulate you about becoming a dad again" she smiled as he nodded, their foreheads resting against each other's as she relaxed. "I'll look after her, you don't need to worry".

"I still worry though Kate about both of you. I'll come and get her tomorrow morning and we'll go to the precinct together" he smiled as she nodded and pressed a kiss against his nose before moving away, knowing that Alexis was waiting for her. "I'll see you tomorrow" he smiled before looking into the apartment. "Bye pumpkin, I'll miss you".

"Bye dad" Alexis replied from the couch as Kate smiled and kissed him again.

"Bye Castle" she announced, pushing him gently out of the door as he blew a kiss at her and disappeared, her eyes rolling as she shut the door and walked over to join the redhead. "I think that was the longest goodbye ever" she commented, Alexis nodding in agreement as Kate sighed. "So did you bring some films because I don't think you would enjoy mine?" she asked.

"I did but what have you got?" Alexis asked as Kate opened up the cupboard where she kept her DVD's, the redhead smiling as she stared in at the collection of foreign films as well as science fiction and some other films that she hadn't heard of before. "Wow, you have amazing taste" the redhead smiled as Kate laughed. "Can we watch this?" she asked as she took one out. "I wanted to watch it once but we sat down and dad got bored about ten minutes into it so we ended up watching toy story" she explained as Kate took it from her.

"Of course we can, it's one of my favourites actually" she explained as she slipped it into the dvd player and sat down with the redhead, the two of them becoming fixated on the screen.

XOXOXOXO

"What scares you the most about this whole situation?" Kate asked as she sat crossed legged on the couch, dressed in her pyjamas which clearly showed the growing bump as Alexis sat opposite her, also with her legs crossed dressed in her blue pyjamas as a tub of ice cream remained in between them.

"That you'll leave us when you've become such an important part of our lives" Alexis sighed as she stared at the chocolate ice cream between them. "I've watched both my mom and Gina hurt my dad over and over again and I don't want you to do that to him or another child because I know how much it hurts" she sighed before taking a spoonful of the ice cream.

"I'm not them Alexis" she promised as she reached across and held the teenagers hand. "I hate all this press that follows both your dad and you around" she sighed as the redhead nodded. "I'm not with him for his money or for his fame, I'm with him because I like him and well I think he likes me back" she admitted before there was a knock at the door. "I bet you that's the pizza or your father" she laughed as Alexis nodded and climbed off the sofa.

"I'll get it" she smiled before running over to the door. Opening it, Alexis stared at the stranger in front of her who wasn't either the pizza or her father.

"I'm looking for Kate" the man commented as Alexis turned and screamed her name, Kate quickly appearing before smiling and running over, her arms wrapping around the man's neck as Alexis stared at her. "Hey Katie" he smiled as Kate moved away from him and smiled at the redhead beside her.

"Alexis, this my dad Jim Beckett. Dad this is Alexis, Richard Castle's daughter" she smiled as Alexis nodded at him. "What are you doing here dad? We didn't have something plan did we?" she asked quickly as he entered the apartment and smiled at her.

"Aren't I allowed to come and visit my only daughter sometimes?" Jim Beckett smiled as he stared at his daughter who smiled and groaned. "Kate honey are you alright?" he asked as she nodded and smiled.

"Help yourself to a drink dad, I'll be a second" Kate blurted out before running upstairs, leaving Alexis with the man who was staring at her. Walking over to the fridge, Jim Beckett stared at the image on the fridge, confusion covering his face as he turned to look at Alexis who smiled at him. Hearing the toilet flush upstairs and the water running, both Alexis and Jim looked up as it went silent and Kate appeared, her hands running through her hair as she smiled at them.

"Katherine Beckett would you like to explain to me why there's an ultrasound picture on your fridge?" he asked as Kate groaned and sighed, walking over to him quickly as he continued to stare at her, finally noticing the bump that was shown off by the tight pyjamas she was wearing. "And when were you going to tell me Kate?" he asked quickly.

"Soon I promise" she commented as Alexis smiled and disappeared off to the couch, leaving the two Beckett's alone in the kitchen.

"Who's the father?" he asked, Kate turning to look at the teenager who was eating the ice cream again. "Richard Castle? Richard Castle who you've sat on the phone complaining to me about for ages? You're pregnant with his child?" he asked as she quickly nodded, looking down at her bump as he continued to stare at her. "How far along are you?" he asked.

"Twelve weeks, I had the scan today" she admitted, knowing her dad was angry at being out of the loop. "Dad I was going to tell you soon I promise, it's just today we told Martha and Alexis and well it's been a rollercoaster of a day with the whole precinct finding out and everything" she sighed as she moved closer to him and smiled. "You're going to be a granddad daddy" she smiled as he nodded, her arms wrapping around his neck as he held her close in shock. Hearing a knock at the door, she moved away from him as Alexis ran over and opened it, quickly paying for the pizza and walking over with it.

"I better get going, leave you two alone to your girl's night" he admitted as both Kate and Alexis smiled at him.

"Mr Beckett why don't you join us? We've got enough pizza to feed an army" Alexis asked as Kate smiled and nodded, staring at her father who smiled and nodded quickly, Kate wrapping her arms around him as she smiled.


	29. Chapter 29

Unlocking her apartment door, he smiled as he noticed the detective and his daughter sat on the couch, watching the television as Kate continued to eat toast, neither of them noticing his presence as he silently shut the door and walked over. Pressing his lips against the top of Kate's head, he smiled as she turned her head and smiled at him, patting the space beside her as she walked over and sat next to her, Alexis beaming as she watched her father wrap an arm around the pregnant detective.

"Morning Pumpkin, Detective Beckett" he smiled as both women nodded and smiled at him. "How was your girls night?" he asked quickly, Kate sighing as Alexis turned to face them, her hand pulling her red hair back behind her ear as it fell in front of her face.

"It was great, I met Kate's dad as well" Alexis smiled, Rick staring at the brunette who smiled awkwardly at him as she thought about how she was going to introduce the two men to each other after her father's reaction the night before. "Then we watched some movies and we talked about things like the baby" she admitted, Rick nodding as he continued to stare at Kate who was biting into the piece of toast that was in her hands.

"So when do I get to meet your dad Kate?" he asked, Kate sighing as she got up and carried the plate into the kitchen, her free hand resting on her bump as Rick followed her. "I've got to meet him at some point seeing that I got his only child pregnant" he laughed, Kate turning to look at him as she rested against the kitchen side, her hands continuing to rest on her stomach.

"You're not doing anything tonight are you because I've arranged for dad to come over here to meet you?" she admitted as Rick slowly nodded. "Don't worry he already knows that I'm pregnant and that you're the father so tonight's just about getting to know each other" she beamed, her hand reaching out to touch his as he watched her. "Rick, it'll be fine, he won't kill you".

"Kate, I'm a father already. If someone came up to me that I didn't know about and told me that they got my daughter pregnant I would do some things to him that I wouldn't be very proud of" he explained, Kate shaking her head before moving closer and wrapping her arms around his neck. "How are you feeling today?" he whispered as they rested their foreheads against each other's, their eyes shutting as she bit into her lip for a moment.

"Better, I haven't felt sick yet but I know my luck and it'll come later" she moaned, smiling as Rick moved his hands to his stomach and slowly moved onto his knees in front of her, her eyes immediately looking into the living area to see that Alexis was completely fixated on both the television and whoever she was texting with a smile on her face. Moving her top away, he smiled before pressing a kiss against her stomach, Kate rolling her eyes as he continued to kiss across it. "Rick stop, your daughter is in the same room" she announced as he nodded and slowly stood up, keeping his hands against her stomach as she sighed. "I'm going to go and get ready for work" she admitted, slipping away quickly before disappearing into her bedroom.

XOXOXOXOO

Sitting on the autopsy table, Kate smiled as she watched Lanie fill in some of the paperwork before putting it aside and looking up at her, a small smile appearing upon her own face as she relaxed finally. Opening her mouth to speak, Lanie shut up as she watched the glare appear on Kate's face, confusion covering her own.

"If you're about to ask how I am, you can stop right now. I've had Castle do it, then Montgomery do it the moment I walked through the door and it doesn't help that Ryan and Esposito are being overly helpful. I'm pregnant not an invalid, I can look after myself" she moaned, the ME nodding slowly as she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest as Kate sighed. "But I'm fine, thank you for thinking about asking, it means a lot".

"So what do you want? A boy or a girl?" Lanie asked quickly as she watched Kate slide her hand to her bump again which she had given up even trying to hide after everyone had found out yesterday.

"I want a healthy baby but I think Rick really wants a boy, even though we haven't really discussed it yet" Kate admitted as she smiled, staring down at where her hands were resting. "I just can't believe there's a baby in there, it's unbelievable" Kate smiled, looking up at her friend who was staring at her. "Anyway, I didn't come down here to discuss whether I wanted a boy or a girl, I came to see if you have any more information on my victim" she explained as Lanie quickly shook her head and sighed.

"Sorry Kate, nothing new" Lanie sighed, the detective nodding quickly before sliding off the table and walking towards the door. "So what are you and Castle now?" she asked, Kate turning as she sighed.

"We're a couple but we've only really just started out. We're not in love but we like each other and yet we're having a baby in six months. Lanie am I mad?" she asked, the ME shaking her head as Kate stared at her. "I feel crazy for getting myself in this situation, I told myself I would never have a baby until I was married or at least in a proper long term relationship but with Rick, I was pregnant before we even started dating" Kate sighed as Lanie smiled at her.

"Things happen for a reason Kate, you know that and anyway you and Castle are going to be amazing parents, no matter what sort of a relationship you're in" Lanie muttered, the detective nodding as she slipped out of the morgue and walked towards the exit, needing to get back to work before Ryan and Esposito came looking for her.

XOXOXOXO

"Will you calm down?" Kate asked as she watched Rick play with the buttons on his shirt, her eyes rolling as she reached across and took his hands in her, her lips moving to his in an attempt to calm him down. "He's not going to kill you Rick, he's just a little shocked that's all. Remember I'm still his little girl like Alexis is yours" Kate whispered as he groaned and nodded slowly, remembering how much of a nightmare it had been when he'd told Meredith's parents that she was pregnant. Hearing a knock at the door, he jumped as Kate laughed and slipped off the couch, walking towards it quickly. "Hi dad" she smiled as she unlocked the door, her arms wrapping around her father's neck as she smiled and nodded.

"Mr Beckett" Rick greeted as the older man walked towards him, Rick sticking his hand out as Jim nodded and shook it, sitting opposite the writer as Kate sat herself beside him, allowing Rick to wrap his arm around her. "Look we need to talk about this whole situation, I'm already a father and I know how I would react if Alexis told me that some man that I didn't know had got her pregnant" Rick began, Jim nodding as Kate stared at them, hoping that her father wouldn't go as mad as he'd done the previous evening..

"I just want to know that you're going to be there for my daughter, Richard" Jim admitted, staring at the brunette who smiled at him. "I've read about you Mr Castle and heard things about you from my daughter and I want to know that you're not going to abandon her and the baby if you find someone else who gets your attention" the man explained as Rick sighed, looking down at the woman in his arms.

"I'm not going to say I love Kate because I don't, at least not yet anyway and I'm not going to lie about it to make you feel better. I like Kate a lot and I'm not going to leave her or my baby ever. My ex-wife abandoned our daughter and I know Alexis has never forgiven her for that so I would never do that to any child, especially one that I'm so excited about having. If Kate wanted me too, I would marry her or have her move in just to make her happy because I don't ever want to hurt her" he explained as Rick smiled, Kate staring up at the writer as she bit into her lip.

"Excuse me" Kate smiled as she slipped off the couch and disappeared into her bathroom, Rick standing as he heard her start to be sick again. Excusing himself, Rick quickly entered the same room as Kate, sitting himself behind her as he pulled her hair away from her face, allowing her to relax back against him a few moments later. "I dislike this bit of pregnancy" she admitted as Rick nodded and pressed a kiss onto her head.

"Just think it'll be all worth it for our beautiful baby because with our amazing good looks this baby is going to be a stunner" he smiled as she rolled her eyes and slowly stood up, going to wash her face as he continued to watch her. "Your father seems nice" he smiled as she rolled her eyes and smiled at him, her head resting against his chest a moment later as she sighed. "You look exhausted" he commented, Kate nodding as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm tired, I blame this one" she smiled, resting their hands on her stomach as he smiled, his lips pressing against her head as she groaned. Leaving the bathroom quickly, Kate smiled as she noticed how her father was already pulling his jacket on, a smile covering his face as he walked over and quickly pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you soon daddy".

"We should have a family dinner soon, seeing that we're going to be an odd sort of family" Rick announced as both Beckett's nodded quickly, his arm wrapping around Kate as the two men promised to arrange the dinner before Jim declared his goodbyes and left the apartment quickly. "Come on Detective bed" he announced, lifting her into his arms as she squealed, enjoying the feeling of having him around as he held her close, her eyes slowly shutting as she began to fall asleep in his arms.

**So what do you think? I'm not too happy with the whole scene with Rick and Jim but it will develop more with the family dinner. Thank you for the reviews and I can't wait to hear from you again, I really do love all your comments. **


	30. Chapter 30

**This is the longest chapter I've ever written but seeing that I'm going on holiday tomorrow, it should be reasonably long. Please review, I really do want to hear from you especially with this chapter as it's so long and took a lot of my time to write, surprisingly! Anyway thank you for reading and reviewing and please continue. **

Sitting on the couch with his mother and daughter, Rick smiled as they flicked through the channels searching for something to watch while Kate remained upstairs changing from after her shower. Hearing the door slam upstairs, all three Castle's turned to see Kate walking down the stairs dressed in the writers dressing gown, a frown covering her face as she glared at the man who was sat between the two redheads.

"What have I done this time?" he asked as he watched Kate enter the kitchen and grab an orange, peeling it as she entered the area again and sat herself on the other couch. "I thought you were getting dressed anyway, why are you wearing my dressing gown then?" he asked, not hearing what she mumbled under her breath as the three of them stared at her. "Honey you're going to have to say it a bit louder than that if you want me to hear" he announced, Kate turning her head to look at him.

"I don't fit in my pants anymore" she announced, Martha smiling as Alexis beamed and stared at the detective, Rick standing quickly as he walked over and wrapped an arm around her. "Bump is getting too big for my clothes now" she announced, his hands slipping down to where her hands were resting. "I have no clothes that fit here and I can't exactly go back to mine in this can I Rick?" she explained as he pressed a kiss into the top of her head, Alexis quickly standing and disappearing up the stairs as they all watched her disappear.

"Where's she going?" Rick asked as Martha shrugged, the sound of the door opening quickly gaining their attention as Alexis appeared again, holding something in her hands. Stopping by the couch, Alexis stared at the detective who slowly sat up and looked at her, the redhead holding out the item she was holding in her hands.

"I bought it a couple of days but it's a bit too big for me, it should fit you" Alexis announced as Kate stared at the white summer dress in her hands. "At least until you do some shopping for some new clothes" she added, Kate smiling as she stood up and quickly kissed the teenagers cheek before disappearing up the stairs, Alexis quickly sitting in the space beside her father.

"You are a genius pumpkin" Rick smiled, pressing a kiss onto his daughters head as she nodded.

"I know dad, I don't know where I get it from" she laughed as he hugged her, the two of them laughing as Martha rolled her eyes, slipping off the couch to go and have a shower, leaving her son and granddaughter cuddling on the couch. Walking down the stairs a few moments later, Kate watched as Rick and Alexis remained in silence on the couch, his arms around her as they watched the television. Turning her head, Alexis smiled as she stared at the detective. "Wow you look amazing" she commented, Rick turning to see Kate standing there, her brown hair over one shoulder as the strappy white summer dressed hugged around her breasts and yet flowed over the bump making it unnoticeable as she smiled at him.

"Thanks Alexis" Kate whispered as Rick stood and walked over, kissing her quickly as she laughed. "I'm going to go shopping, do you want to come?" she asked as he groaned. "You don't have to if you don't want" she whispered after seeing his expression.

"I want to but I've got a meeting with Gina about the new books so I'm not free until lunch time at the earliest" he explained, Kate nodding slowly as Alexis smiled at her.

"I'll come with you if you want" Alexis smiled, Kate nodding as she stared at the teenager who stood and walked towards the stairs. "Just let me go and get ready and then we can go" the redhead smiled before disappearing from sight.

"I'll call you after the meeting, perhaps I'll take you both to lunch" he suggested as Kate nodded and kissed him again, a smile covering his face as he ran his hands to her bump. "Bump is most defiantly bigger today, it's amazing how fast they grow isn't it?" he announced as she slowly nodded, her arms wrapping around his neck as they stood still for a moment. "We've got that dinner tonight" he commented, Kate groaning as she thought about how everyone was coming to celebrate the baby news. "We can cancel it if you don't feel up to having everyone around tonight" he suggested, Kate shaking her quickly as she stared at the writer.

"I'm fine with it, I'm just annoyed that I have to go buy a whole new wardrobe just to accommodate this one" she smiled, her hands running to the bump as his joined her, the two of them laughing at the feel of the bump under her hands. Hearing Alexis run down the stairs, they slowly separated from each other as Kate smiled at the redhead who was now dressed in a dress of the same style as hers but in blue. "Shall we get going?" she asked, Alexis nodding before they both said their goodbyes to the writer and left the apartment.

XOXOXOXO

"Ah Kate how cute are these?" Alexis smiled as she stared at the small pairs of shoes in front of her, Kate smiling as she looked at them, her hand continuing to rest on her stomach as Alexis beamed. "There so unbelievably small" the redhead smiled as Kate held them in her hand and felt a small tear run down her cheek, shocking the teenager who immediately started to worry. "Kate are you okay?" she asked, the detective nodding as she stared down at her stomach, desperately trying to relax as she began to leave the baby clothes and go in search for some maternity clothes.

"How do you feel about becoming an older sister Alexis? I've never really asked" Kate asked as she ran her hands through the selection of pants in front her, trying to find some that would be suitable for work.

"I'm excited, I've always wanted to have a brother or sister and I know dad's always wanted to have more children" Alexis admitted as Kate nodded, finding some clothes that she liked, immediately slipping them over her arm as she went to search for more. "Are you looking for something in particular?" she asked, noticing how Kate was searching through the clothes.

"I want to get something for tonight that'll show this" she admitted, staring at her bump as Alexis nodded. "Being in the apartment is the one time I don't really have to hide at the moment so I want to show this one off" she explained, Alexis nodding as she began to help the detective find something. Holding up a dress, Alexis watched as the detective stared at it before nodding and taking it into her own hands, putting it over her arms with the rest of the clothes she'd found.

"Why are you hiding it Kate? Most people love showing off their pregnancies don't they? Why are you hiding yours?" Alexis asked after they'd finished paying and walked out of the shop, the redhead staring at her as they stopped and Kate sighed.

"Because I don't want everyone thinking certain things about me because of who your dad is and well I can see the press getting hold of this and saying bad things about us and I don't want them too. Also a lot of people at my work don't know yet so while it's a secret I can just enjoy it with the people I love" she explained, her arm wrapping around the teenager who nodded slowly. "I wish your father would hurry up though because I'm starving and he's buying us lunch" she commented, beaming as her phone began to ring. "Ah there's your father" she smiled as she picked it up.

XOXOXOXO

Hearing a small knock at the door, Kate turned to see the door opening and Alexis standing in the small space, the redhead smiling at the detective as Kate sighed.

"You look amazing Kate, pregnancy suits you" Alexis smiled, Kate beaming as she ran her hands to her bump which was clearly shown by the dress she was wearing. "Ryan and Esposito just arrived with the Lanie so we're just waiting for your dad" the redhead explained as Kate stood and stared at herself in the mirror. The black dress hugged her figure and although she wasn't completely certain about the bump, it showed it off to perfection but also showed off her growing breasts. "Dad told me to give this to you" Alexis announced as she passed the small box over to the detective who beamed at the silver locket that was inside it, her name and Rick's already engraved in it. "He says that the reason there's no photo in and there's a space is because it's for the baby".

"Wow" she mumbled before looking at the teenager. "Will you help me?" Kate asked quickly as Alexis nodding, assisting her in putting the necklace on, the locket resting just above her breasts, fitting with the outfit perfectly. Walking out of the room with Alexis, Kate smiled as she looked down at the people who were laughing and talking already all of them smartly dressed like Rick had ordered for the occasion because he wanted to take some nice photos of everyone, her father now stood talking to Martha. Noticing the detective who was stood at the top of the stairs, Rick stopped talking to the detective beside him, Kate beaming as she slowly walked down the stairs, the writer walking over to join her.

"You look stunning" he whispered, red covering her cheeks as he leant in and kissed her, everyone cheering as his hands ran to the obvious bump. "You're not hiding it" he commented as she nodded before she turned to look at everyone who was watching them.

"Katie you look amazing" Jim smiled as he hugged his daughter who laughed and nodded. Hearing a camera click, Kate laughed as she saw Alexis standing there with her father's camera, the beam on her face causing the detective to roll her eyes before walking over to Lanie and the three male detectives who were standing there.

"Girl you look great" Lanie smiled, Kate rolling her eyes as her friend pulled her into her arms for a hug. "What's this?" she asked, looking at the necklace around the detective's neck as Kate smiled and flipped it over to reveal the engraving. "Wow" Lanie smiled, Kate nodding as she turned to see Rick with the camera, taking photos of his mother and daughter. "Don't let him go Kate, he's good for you and well you're good for him, I've never seen you this happy" Lanie commented, Kate turning around to look at the woman who was staring at her.

"I know" she whispered, a small smile on her face as she thought about the man across the room. Walking across the room so they were far away from everyone, Kate stared at the ME who was looking at her. "There's so much we have to learn about each other and well things like that and yet..." she began before going silent.

"You feel more for him than you ever did for Will?" Lanie suggested as Kate nodded, her hands resting on her stomach as Lanie smiled. "Kate don't ruin this; don't run away from him and don't push him away because this could go somewhere Kate" the ME announced as the detective nodded, feeling someone's arms wrap around her as she turned her head to see Rick standing there, his lips pressing against her cheek as he smiled. Hearing a knock at the door, Kate watched as Rick ran over and collected the bags.

"Rick" she laughed as he smiled.

"Dinner is served" he smiled, everyone cheering as Kate rolled her eyes. "We've got Chinese, Indian, a bit of Thai although not much and pizza as well" he listed, beaming at the people who were staring at him in confusion. "I have a pregnant girlfriend who is picky with food, it's easier to buy everything than just something" he explained as Kate smiled at him, the two of them beginning to unload the bags of food as everyone watched them, noticing for the first time how much like a couple they really were.

XOXOXOXOX

Watching as Esposito flicked a noddle at Ryan, Kate laughed as the two men continued to bicker over who was better Superman or Batman as Rick finally commented saying that Batman was better because he didn't have superpowers, Lanie rolling her eyes as the three men continued to argue, Montgomery watching in complete amusement.

"Boys, boys stop arguing" Lanie commented, the three of them shutting up as they stared at her. "Everyone knows that Wonder woman is the best" she declared, the three of them immediately disagreeing as everyone else laughed at them, Rick's arms wrapping around the brunette detective as she sighed and rested into him.

"What do you think Kate? Who's the best superhero?" he asked, wanting to know the answer to the question which he didn't know about her as she looked up at him, exhaustion covering her face as she began to think.

"Batman, he used the loss of his parents to do better things and to fight crime and to make the world a better place. Also he used brains rather than powers and he had a much better outfit" she explained as Rick smiled down at her, allowing her to move closer as she shut her eyes, all of them remaining silent as they realised how Batman had reasonably the same situation as Beckett and that was probably the reason why she liked him more than the others.

"Beckett has spoken" Montgomery finally announced, ending the debate as Jim Beckett stood up.

"I better get going, I've got an early start tomorrow" he explained as Rick nodded, wishing his goodbyes before looking down at Kate who he realised was fast asleep against him. "Don't wake her up, just tell her I'll see her soon and give her this when she wakes up" he explained, passing him a box that he had brought with him, confusing covering the writers face as the man nodded. "She'll explain it to you".

"Thank you for coming Mr Beckett, it made Kate's day" he announced, Jim smiling at him.

"It's Jim, to all of you" the man announced before leaving the apartment, the detectives and ME standing up soon after he left.

"We better go as well" Ryan announced, everyone nodding as they wished their goodbyes and left, Martha and Alexis quickly disappearing upstairs as the writer looked down at the woman who was sleeping against him. Slipping his arms around her, he slowly lifted her up and began to carry her up the stairs, a small groan leaving her lips as he entered the bedroom and rested her down on the bed, pressing a kiss against her forehead as he sat down beside her.

"You look beautiful Kate" he whispered to her as she turned, her hand continuing to rest on her stomach as he watched her for a moment before leaving the room to go and collect the box Jim had given her. Re-entering the bedroom, he smiled to see Kate sitting up and staring at him. "Your dad asked me to give this to you" he whispered, Kate staring in confusion as she took the box from him Rick slowly sitting beside her as she opened it and gasped. "Kate?" he asked before she slowly took and old teddy out of the box, her thumbs running across it.

"It was my mom's when I was a baby and then it was mine, he wants us to give it to our baby" she explained, Rick smiled as she stared into the box and it took out two cardigan's, a blue one that she didn't recognize and a pink one that she'd seen in photos of her. "My mom made these when she was pregnant with me, she didn't know whether I was a girl or a boy" she admitted, tears running down her cheeks as she held them in her hands.

"Our baby is going to be the most loved child in the world" he whispered, reaching across to take one of the cardigans in his hands. "Our baby is always going to remember their grandmother Kate, I'll make sure of that" he announced as she nodded and took out the last item from the box, revealing a small dvd. "What's this?" he asked as Kate shrugged, quickly moving to place it into the dvd player, her hand switching on the television as her mother appeared on the screen.

"_Jo smile" Jim smiled as his wife looked up at him, their new born baby in her arms as she beamed, tears filling her eyes as he moved the camera closer to reveal the small baby who was wrapped in a pink blanket. "Say hello Katherine" he smiled as the small child opened her eyes and stared into the camera, confusion covering her face as Jim beamed at his little girl. _

"_She's perfect" Johanna mumbled as she ran her fingers down her daughter's cheek. "Katherine Beckett, you're going to do great things one day" she commented, looking down at her daughter as Jim zoomed down to reveal the mother and daughter perfectly, Johanna's eyes not moving off her daughter as Jim beamed. "Give me the camera, I know you want your turn" she laughed, the camera catching the ceiling as the exchanged happened and Jim slipped his daughter into his arms, Johanna smiling as she filmed him pacing up and down with the silent baby. _

"_You really are beautiful, she look like your mom Katie. You're going to break some hearts when you're older" he announced as he looked towards the camera. "I love you Jo" he smiled. _

"_I love you too, you soppy thing" she laughed before she switched the camera off. _

"Katie?" Rick asked after the television had gone blank, the brunette turning to reveal the tears in her eyes.

"I've never seen that before" she admitted as he pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss against her forehead and sighed as she sobbed into his chest, a mix of hormones and grief filling her mind as he continued to hold her.


	31. Chapter 31

"Javier Esposito if you don't move that coffee away from me in the next five seconds, I will pour it all over you and not allow you to go and change shirt. Get the message?" she warned, the detective quickly moving away with his drink as Kate groaned and ran her hand to her stomach. Coffee. She missed it and yet she hated it more every day. "So what do we know?" she asked quickly, her back to everyone as she stared at the completely covered murder board that still wasn't leading them anywhere with their latest case.

"We know that you are damn scary when pregnant" Esposito smiled, shutting up when she turned her head and glared at him. "Sorry" he whispered, her eyes rolling as the doors to the elevator opened and the writer slipped out from the metal box. Walking over, he watched the scene for a moment. Esposito and Ryan were stood a good distance from the pregnant detective, one hand over the tops of their coffee mugs as she stared at the board. It was obvious he'd missed the morning rant over the drink.

"I missed the coffee rant again" he moaned, smiling as Kate turned to look at him, unable to stop herself from smiling at having him there. "Damn Gina, coffee rants are the best part of the day and I seem to always miss them now" he smiled, receiving glares from the two male detectives.

"Make yourself a coffee Castle, I'm sure she'll threaten to burn you with it then" Ryan announced, the writer shaking his head quickly as he seated himself in his usual chair and sighed.

"I have given up coffee while someone is pregnant, it's not fair to drink it around her at home if she can't enjoy it too" he smiled, both men rolling their eyes before returning to their seats. Sitting herself down, Kate smiled at him for a moment before realising what he'd just admitted to everyone.

"I didn't know you'd given up coffee Castle" she commented, smiling even more as he nodded quickly. "Thank you" she whispered, reaching across to hold his hand for a moment before returning to the files in front of her. "How was your meeting with Gina?" she asked, not looking from the document she was reading as he groaned.

"Boring, especially seeing that it made me miss you coffee rant" he smiled, her eyes rolling quickly before he leant over, looking down to read what she was. "Kate you know that Montgomery's given you the afternoon off today" he smiled.

"Yes Castle I do know I have the afternoon off, why?" she asked quickly, not looking up from the file as he stared at her in amusement.

"Fancy spending the afternoon with me? I want to go and see dinosaurs and well Alexis refuses to go with me now and well seeing that our baby is going to be a frequent visitor to the museum I thought their mommy should come and see them with me" he laughed, her eyes rolling before she quickly nodded in agreement.

"I have been to the museum before Rick, I do know what's there and everything" she commented, relaxing back in her seat as her hands rested on her bump.

"Yes but never with me and I'm so much fun to have around" he smiled, her eyes rolling quickly as she sighed. "I'll buy you lunch and dinner as well" he declared, her smile growing at the idea before she nodded again before standing. "Where are you going?" he asked quickly.

"To see Lanie before I leave, you can come if you really want to" she smiled, his head shaking at the idea of girly gossip. "I'll meet you outside in half an hour then" she suggested before leaving the room, his eyes not moving off her until she'd completely disappeared.

"So Castle any plans for the afternoon?" Ryan asked quickly, the writer nodding quickly.

"Going to go and see some dinosaurs with Beckett" he smiled at the two detectives who rolled their eyes at him before returning to their work.

XOXOXOXO

"So what are your plans for your afternoon off then?" Lanie asked as the detective sat on one of the tables and smiled to herself. "Does it involve a certain Richard Castle by any chance?" she asked, Kate nodding quickly as she felt her cheeks burn up in embarrassment. She felt a teenager again being questioned by her best friend over her first date with a guy. "Where are you two going then?" the ME asked quickly.

"Lunch, then we're going to the museum of natural history, Castle's desperate to see some dinosaurs and then he's taking me to dinner as well" Kate smiled, thinking about a whole afternoon of just her and the father of her baby with no work involved or nothing else. "He's excited" she smiled.

"About what?" the ME asked quickly, enjoying this new chapter of the detective's life.

"The baby. He was talking about taking them to the museum loads and things like that and I can't help but be more excited about this when he talks about things, he's just so enthusiastic about everything" Kate admitted, the ME smiling at her as she sat herself down beside the detective and sighed. "He's given up coffee and I didn't even know" she sighed. "He doesn't want to drink it around me so he's given it up while I'm pregnant".

"Wow that's commitment" Lanie commented before Kate looked at her fathers watch and smiled. "And now you've got to go and see writer boy" she smiled as Kate slid off the table and pulled her jacket on.

"How do I look?" she asked quickly, Lanie rolling her eyes as Kate smiled and left the room.

XOXOXOXO

"I was starting to think you weren't coming and had returned to work" he smiled the moment she slipped out of the elevator and walked towards him. Leaving the building, she finally allowed him to wrap his arms around her, his hand resting on her bump as she rested into his side and relaxed. "Dinosaurs" he smiled, Kate's eyes rolling quickly over his child like excitement. "Where do you fancy going for lunch?" he asked.

"Remy's? Then you can really spoil me with dinner" she suggested quickly, smiling as he began to lead her in the direction of the diner. Entering, they seated themselves in one of the booths before a petit blonde waitress approached and took their orders, leaving them alone quickly. "First time a waitress hasn't flirted with you when we've gone out for food" she commented as he nodded and reached across to hold her hand.

"I think they're starting to see that I'm with someone extremely beautiful and therefore know they haven't got a chance anymore" he smiled, squeezing her hand gently as she giggled. "How are you feeling today?" he asked quickly, wanting to know exactly how her morning had gone from her waking up in her own apartment without him till he walked in on her scaring Ryan and Esposito.

"Good, I haven't felt sick all day and except for the incident with the coffee this morning, I'm fine. I've felt completely normal" she smiled, watching as he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against it, enjoying the feel of her skin against his lips for a moment. "Castle" she smiled.

"Can you please call me Rick when we're outside of work Kate?" he asked quickly, her eyebrows rising in surprise. "Not that I don't like being called Castle but well you are my girlfriend in a way and we are having a baby together so I think calling me Rick would be acceptable" he smiled as she nodded slowly, moving herself to sit beside him.

"Rick" she smiled, kissing his cheek gently as the waitress brought over there food, Kate immediately reaching over to steal one of his fries while he rolled his eyes at her, knowing better than to argue with the woman when it came to food.

XOXOXOXOX

"Wow" Kate smiled as she stepped out of the elevator and onto the top floor of the museum, her eyes immediately focusing on the dinosaur skeletons in front of her. "I forgot how big they were" she admitted, shocking him slightly as he looked at her in confusion. When was the last time she was here? "I haven't been here since mom died Rick".

"Oh" he whispered simply before pressing a kiss into her hair and leading her towards the bones, his hand holding hers tightly but not so much that it hurt. Following him, she watched him talk about everything enthusiastically before they stopped in front of the Stegosaurs, his hand resting on her bump as they stared at it for a moment. "Amazing aren't they?" he smiled as she nodded.

"If you disappear with our baby Rick, I know where to find you now" she smiled, his head nodding quickly before he turned her so he could kiss her, his hands never moving off her bump. "Come on what are you going to show me now?" she asked quickly, allowing him to be in complete control of the afternoon. Leading her into another room, she laughed as he moved faster to look at the T-Rex in front of them. "Wow" she muttered, feeling his arm tighten around her. Hearing a laugh, they both turned to see two small boys staring up at the dinosaurs, their parents stood beside them.

"That's going to be us soon" he smiled into her ear, watching as she nodded and moved away so the boys behind her could get a closer look.

"Although there's only one in here Rick, not two" she smiled, laughing as he breathed a sigh of relief and kissed her again, his fingers running through her hair gently as she sighed. "Mr Castle, I think there's more to look at" she commented, his head nodding slowly as he moved away from her and continued to lead her around the top floor of the museum. "Have you got anymore plans for what you're going to do with our baby?" she asked quickly as they wondered around the top floor, staring at the exhibitions in front of them.

"What we're going to do with our baby Kate. You're here too" he smiled, watching her nod as they began to walk towards the elevator. "Well there's here of course, our baby is going to have to be a dinosaur fan" he declared.

"You do know there is more than just dinosaurs here Rick right?" she commented as he rolled his eyes at her.

"Of course I do Kate, it's just the dinosaurs are the best bit of the whole place" he explained. "There's the zoo of course we have to go to the zoo at least twice a year" he announced, a laugh leaving her lips at the idea. "We haven't even been to the zoo once Kate" he declared.

"I know but I haven't got the time" she explained. "I promise we'll go once the babies here, perhaps we can make a day out of it with the family" she added, kissing his cheek gently as he groaned. "What?" she asked.

"I'm imagining my mother at the zoo, she always wonders off" he commented, the smile growing on her face. "And the aquarium, we have to go to the aquarium but maybe that should wait till their a bit older, even I get bored staring at water for long periods of time" he smiled as they began to wonder around another floor after leaving the lift.

"Like the zoo and dinosaurs?" she suggested, stopping once he started to glare at her. "I like the idea of the zoo though, I haven't been there in a while either" she whispered, feeling her cheeks burn red at the fact.

"Well we'll just have to change that fact won't we Miss Beckett?" he smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he began to drag her around again. "Now I fancy butterflies next, what do you think?" he smiled as she nodded, allowing him to tighten his arm around her and lead her towards the exhibit, the smile on her face growing as she realised that it was all real.

**I'm honestly not sure about this chapter at all so I'd love to know what you think. I just think I dragged the whole thing out too much but well I wanted Kate and Rick to get closer. **


	32. Chapter 32

Humming to herself while she walked down the stairs from her apartment, she smiled at the neighbour she recognised ahead of her. She was happy and still completely in her bubble from the day before. She'd spent the whole day laughing, not just at the museum but afterwards at the Chinese restaurant he'd treated her too. They'd held hands and shared secrets, laughing most of the evening before getting a cab to her apartment where he'd walked her to the door and kissed her goodnight, only leaving because she'd made him.

"Good morning" she beamed, a small smile covering the older woman's face as she stepped towards the detective and sighed.

"Detective, maybe you should think about taking the back exit today" the older woman suggested, Kate raising her eyebrows as she stared at her neighbour who immediately urged her to come over to the window. Walking over, Kate stared out at the crowd of reporters that had piled up outside the front of her apartment building, her hand immediately resting on her stomach. Feeling all the earlier happiness disappear, she groaned and rested against the wall, her fingers moving from her stomach to run through her hair quickly.

"Congratulations by the way Detective" the woman, Kate staring at her in shock.

"Oh god, is it all over the papers?" she asked, the woman shaking her head slowly as she smiled at her, generally feeling sorry for the younger woman. "Then how did you know about the baby?" she whispered, her hand returning to her stomach quickly.

"When you saw them, you immediately ran your hand to your stomach like you were protecting something and well when you pressed your hand down, it made the bump a lot more obvious" the woman explained as Kate smiled at her and nodded. "How far gone are you?" she asked quickly.

"Four months" Kate admitted, enjoying the fact of being able to talk to someone about her baby who wasn't in her immediate circle of friends and family. "But I need to cover it because of the job and well because of that" she moaned, indicating to outside where more people were joining the crowd.

"Well you've done a good job" the woman smiled before sighing. "And it looks like your partner just got here" she smiled, Kate staring out of the window to see Rick pushing through the crowd and entering the building.

"Castle" she announced as he ran through the building, her voice stopping him as he turned to look at her, a large smile appearing on his face. Running over, he quickly ran his hands down her cheek before his arms wrapped around her, his lips crashing onto hers quickly. "How many papers Rick?" she asked him, her eyes not moving from his as he sighed.

"Practically all of them" he admitted as she groaned and buried her head into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Katie" he whispered to her as she shook her head, knowing it wasn't his fault.

"We knew it was going to happen one day" she mumbled, remaining close to him as he sighed into her hair. "I'm going to call Montgomery, see what he can do about it" she whispered, taking hold of his hand quickly and leading him up the stairs towards her apartment.

Lying across her couch a few moments later, she sighed as her head rested on his lap, the two of them going through the papers that had been delivered to her apartment earlier, viewing every image and text that had them as the main subjects.

"I think I like this one the best" she smiled, showing the picture of him falling over in the museum with her laughing in the background. "I'm going to keep that one, I might even frame it" she smiled, enjoying being with him in the protection of her apartment.

"I like all the pictures, there actually pretty good so there all being framed" he admitted as she nodded slowly and relaxed. "I had a good time yesterday Kate" he muttered as she beamed.

"Same we should do it more often" she smiled, the writer leaning down quickly to kiss her. He hated the press. He hated how they surrounded her property just because she had gone out with him on a date.

"Could we just stay here forever Kate? Just us and the baby, Alexis can live her and then come and visit when she goes to college and mother can keep the loft to herself for her parties" he asked as she sighed, thinking about his question. Hearing a tap at the door, she smiled as she climbed off the sofa and approached the door, opening it quickly to see Ryan and Esposito standing there.

"About time you two" she smiled. "Are they gone now?" she asked, both men biting their lips as they tried to think of an answer.

"About half of them have gone; the precinct lot have gone completely. Montgomery got really angry and started threatening to arrest them all" Ryan admitted, Esposito nodding in agreement as Kate sighed and turned to look at Rick who was putting the paper into a pile on the couch.

"Castle time to go" she sighed, the writer walking over quickly with both their coats.

XOXOXOXOXO

Walking to the door, they stared out at the still large crowd ahead of them, her hand immediately letting go of his as he nodded slowly, knowing she was scared. Although she stared down the barrel of guns and arrested some of the cruellest people alive, she was still terrified over the idea of her face being everywhere and people judging her. Opening the doors, they listened to the shouts of Castle's name, the crowd moving closer as Ryan and Esposito moved next to Kate, desperately trying to calm her down as she began to panic.

Walking to the steps, the crowd of journalists began to move in closer and faster, pushing Ryan and Esposito out of the way and then every started to go slow for the writer. Rick watched as the crowd pushed into Kate, making her lose her step and slip down the concrete stairs, panic filling his mind when he saw her lying perfectly still at the bottom of the stairs.

"Kate" he whispered, his heart completely breaking as he ran towards her, not caring about anything else.


	33. Chapter 33

Opening her eyes slowly, she stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up and running her hands to her bump, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared down at it. Looking up, she smiled to see Rick staring at her with a beam covering his face, his hands resting on hers above their precious baby bump.

"The doctors going to come and do an ultrasound in a minute, she says we can know the sex if we want" he smiled as Kate relaxed, her hands not moving from her bump. "I'm sorry Kate, I should have looked after you both better" he whispered, approaching her quickly to sit himself beside her and running his fingers down her cheek.

"How am I Rick?" she asked as he laughed and pressed a gently kiss to her nose gently. "I'm okay then Mr Castle" she commented, the writer nodding before the doctor entered the room and smiled at her.

"Right Detective Beckett" the older woman smiled as she sat herself down and stared at the couple. "I'm just going to check your baby to make sure everything is alright from your fall and then if you want, you can learn the sex" she beamed as Kate slowly nodded. "Now can you just roll your shirt up for me" she smiled, Kate nodding quickly before slipping her top up to reveal some of the forming bruises from her accident.

Clutching Rick's hand tighter, she smiled as he brought their joint first to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently as the stomach placed the gel onto Kate's stomach. Turning her head to look at the image, Kate sighed as she watched an image appear on the screen, the sound of their baby's heartbeat bringing a smile to her face while tears filled her green eyes. Her baby was okay. Her baby was alright and its heart was still beating.

"Would you like to know whether you're having a boy or a girl?" the doctor asked quickly, both Rick and Kate nodding before looking at each other and laughing in excitement. "Mr Castle, Detective Beckett congratulations, you're having a son" she beamed, Kate immediately throwing her arms around the writer as they both beamed at the news and their excitement.

"We're having a boy, we're having a son Rick" Kate beamed, kissing him quickly as their hands ran to her stomach. "Hey baby boy, it's your mommy" she smiled, staring down at her bump as the doctor continued to beam at them.

"I'll leave you two alone for a moment" the doctor muttered, leaving the room quickly as the detective slipped her arms around him, kissing him as he sighed onto her lips.

"Thank you" he whispered to her, pressing a kiss into her dark hair quickly before sighing. "I've got a beautiful daughter and now I'm going to have a handsome son as well. I've been blessed" he beamed as Kate relaxed on the bed, her eyes staring into his quickly as she felt something else in her heart than excitement. She was petrified.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Staring at the clock, he sighed as he moved to look at the empty seat beside him, normally occupied by Kate Beckett. Standing, he slowly approached the lift, knowing she was in the morgue and would have been for the past twenty minutes. Walking down the corridor a few moments later, he stopped at the sound of sobbing and Lanie's worried voice that was filing the otherwise silent floor.

"Kate what is going on with you?" Lanie asked as Rick stood outside the door, not wanting to disturb the obviously bad moment. "Kate? Is it the baby? Is everything alright?" Lanie asked her worry clear.

"He's fine Lanie, he's perfect Lanie" she sobbed, Rick staring through the small window to see the brunette detective sat on the autopsy table with tears falling down her cheeks while Lanie sat nervously beside her.

"A boy?" Lanie asked, Kate nodding quickly, the Me beaming at the fact. "Why aren't you excited? I bet Castle's excited about the news" she smiled as Kate burst into more tears, shocking her comforting friend and the nervous boyfriend who was listening in. "Hey what's wrong with you?" she asked Kate gently.

"He was talking about Alexis and the baby in the hospital and well, he didn't mention me once Lanie" she sobbed. "Lanie what if I have the baby and that's it? HE doesn't want me anymore after everything" she admitted, Rick shaking his head behind the door. "What if all I am to him is a stupid mistake? He's just going to take the baby and leave or he's just going to leave us both" she sobbed, burying her head into her hands quickly.

"Kate, one second you're all enthusiastic about this relationship and the next second you're determined he's going to leave you" Lanie sighed as her arm slipped around the detective. "We all see the way Castle looks at you, he can't take his eyes off you and well he worships you Kate"

"No he doesn't. He just wants his son. He'll leave me like everyone else" she admitted, Lanie shaking her head, looking up to see the familiar blue eyes staring from the window, a small smile growing on her face.

"Is he anything like Will? Look at the way he makes you smile Kate and the way you laugh around him. Did you ever with Will?" Lanie explained as Kate bit into her lip. "Castle isn't going to leave you Kate; we can all see the way he looks at you. Esposito said that the moment you collapsed he was by your side making sure you were okay and telling you everything you two were going to do with the baby" she admitted.

"Really?" Kate asked as Lanie stood up.

"Wasn't Esposito right Castle?" Lanie smiled, the writer slipping into the room at the mention of his name as Kate watched in shock.

"He was right Kate, Esposito was completely right" he smiled, his eyes remaining locked on hers as she bit into her lip, Lanie slipping out of the room silently as he moved towards her. Standing in between her legs as she sat on the autopsy table, he ran his hands to her cheeks and smiled at her. "You and me are going to take him to the zoo and teach him how to swim. We're going to teach him how to ride a bike and read books and write. We're going to teach him right and wrong together" he explained as she stared at him, tears filling her eyes quickly.

"Rick" she whispered, his head shaking as his hand dug in his pockets for something. Pulling out a small but delicate object, he sighed as she continued to watch in tears. "What are you doing Castle?" she asked, tears continuing to run down her cheeks as she stared in amazement.

"This is a promise" he smiled, opening his first to reveal the small ring with a tiny diamond in it, shock covering her face as she stared at it.

"Castle".


	34. Chapter 34

Staring at him in shock as he held the ring out in front of her, she couldn't believe what was happening. Richard Castle was holding an engagement ring out in front of her, smiling in her direction as she remained completely shocked. Was this what she wanted? She believed in one and done, could he be it? Thinking about it more and more, she slowly looked to see him still staring at her.

"This can be a proposal for now or just a promise for later. But it means I want everything about you Kate, not just for the baby" he explained, her teeth sinking into her lips as she sighed.

"Ask me" she muttered, confusing him slightly. "Ask me to marry you Castle" she begged, hating him for making her beg for what she wanted or more correctly, needed, to hear.

"Katherine Beckett, you beautiful, clever, stunning woman, will you marry me?" he asked, getting down onto one knee as Kate slid off the table and held her hands to his face, getting to her own knees quickly. Slipping her lips to his, she smiled as he kissed her, her arms wrapping around his neck quickly.

"Hey no making out in the morgue, we're not supposed to see that much action in a place for the dead" Lanie squealed as she re-entered the room to see them kneeling on the floor, their lips moving quickly together as fingers ran through hair and across clothing. Moving away from each other, both their faces slightly from embarrassment, they slowly stood up, their eyes not moving off each other.

"Just to make sure, yes or no?" he asked, holding onto her hand as he slid the ring into her grip, trying hard for Lanie not to see it.

"Yes" she whispered, putting the ring into her pocket before turning to look at the confused ME. "Trying to decide what baby wants for dinner, it's a Chinese night tonight" she lied to Lanie who immediately nodded and smiled.

"Well I'm glad you two have sorted out your issues" Lanie smiled, Rick's arms snaking around Kate as the brunette beamed. She was engaged to Richard Castle! "Now leave, I have dead people arriving to entertain me" she smiled, Rick sighing as he looked at the detective.

"Mad scientist! You'll be the next Frankenstein with his monster" Rick beamed, Kate biting into her lip to stop herself from laughing at both the comment and her friends face. Pushing him towards the door, Kate smiled as she said goodbye to her friend and slipped out of the room.

Feeling arms wrap around him and push her gently into the wall, she beamed as the writer kissed her deeply, his hands running to her pocket where he'd seen the ring being slipped into. Taking it into his hand, he slowly began to run it onto her finger, Kate shaking her head quickly as she reached down to stop him.

"No" she muttered, his eyes locking onto hers as she bit into her lip. "I don't want them to know" she explained, knowing he was going to be upset that she didn't want to tell everyone their news. "I don't want everyone to think we're only doing this because I'm pregnant, I don't want to be another Meredith Rick".

"You're not going to be another mistake Kate. I want to be with you" he sighed, her eyes shutting for a moment. "Let's go away for the weekend, just us" he suggested, kissing the tip of her nose as she giggled lightly. "Sun, sea, sand and well maybe lots of sex" he declared, her eyes rolling with the last point before she nodded.

"I'd like that" she sighed, knowing there was something else coming.

"Good. Then we can discuss this whole marriage thing and get these little worries that you have gone" he declared, holding onto her hand as they moved away from the wall and began to walk towards the elevator, both of them beaming over the idea of being engaged to each other.

"I haven't got a swimming costume" she blurted out, just remembering the mention of sand and sea.

"We'll go shopping then" he declared simply, hitting the button for the lift as she laughed. "Right, now, Montgomery won't mind you leaving earlier. Not after your accident earlier" he explained, entering the mental box with her as she nodded slowly, surprising him with how easily it was to get her to leave work.

XOXOOXXOOXO

"Please, please, please put it on" he begged as he stood outside her apartment door staring at her as she rested against the door, her hands resting on the bump while her shopping bags rested on the floor. "Please put it on before I go home" he smiled, Kate biting into her lip before taking the ring out of her pocket and passing it to him.

"Mr Castle, fancy doing the honours?" she asked, giggling when he took it from her and slipped it onto her finger, kissing her hand a few moments later as she stared down at it. "It's beautiful Rick" she sighed, knowing there was nothing better in the world than being with him.

"It's perfect on you Katie, I knew it would suit you then" he admitted, kissing her lightly before she opened the door to her apartment. "I'll come and get you in the morning, I'll bring breakfast and everything" he explained as she nodded and slipped inside, poking her head out of the gap to stare at him.

"Until tomorrow then Mr Castle" she beamed, reaching across to reach for his shirt, pulling him towards her before kissing him quickly, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck before she sighed and rested her forehead against his. "Now off you go" she declared, pushing him away gently before blowing him a kiss and shutting the door. Resting against the door, she giggled as she held her hand up to stare at the glistening engagement ring, a high pitch squeal leaving her lips as she laughed.

**I know it's short but I wanted to get something up to explain where I'd left the last one off. I really hope you enjoy this and well please review; I really want to hear from you, especially with the direction this is going in now. Anyway thanks and well I do love your comments; they mean so much to me. **


	35. Chapter 35

**Wow, your reviews are amazing and really do make me smile, especially now that I'm ill and am in desperate need of cheering up. I hope you enjoy this chapter and well I hope to read more reviews from you, now that I have a blackberry they appear on my phone and I must admit, it's a nice feeling to have these amazing reviews there. Also with my own laptop being broken it's a nightmare to review and I'm not updating with the stories that receive the most amount of reviews, its just my system for the moment. I'll shut up now and thanks. **

Hearing the bedroom door open, she groaned as she flicked the light on and relaxed at the sight of Richard Castle standing at the end of her bed, an exhausted smile covering his face as he sat down on the end of the bed and stared at her for a moment. Sitting up, she sighed as she leant across and rested on her back, staring up at him as he bent down and kissed her lightly. The two of them smiling at the contact after a whole evening of being apart.

"Are you coming to whisk me away to somewhere I would never have imagined before?" she asked onto his lips, the smile growing on both their faces as he nodded and rested his forehead on hers, kissing her again as she giggled lightly onto his lips. "I better get dressed and then we can get going" she smiled, sitting up as he sighed.

"There's no need to rush, today's a relaxing day" he beamed, kissing her quickly as she stood up and laughed. "It's just you and me for four whole days Detective, I'm not rushing any of this" he smiled, the detective beaming as his arm brought her closer to him while he remained sat on the bed. Rolling her top up slowly, he smiled as he pressed a kiss to her stomach and sighed. "And this one of course".

"I'm going for a shower, will you make breakfast?" she asked quickly as he nodded, letting her walk towards the en-suite before she stopped and beamed. "Castle?" she muttered, gaining his attention quickly.

"Yes Kate" he sighed, turning his head just as she threw her red pyjama top at him and laughed, shutting the door behind her quickly as he rolled his eyes at her obvious excitement. "Am I guessing from that, that you're rather excited tease?" he asked, the shower turning on quickly as he walked over to pick the red material up from the floor.

"Of course I am, aren't you? I mean it's our first holiday together and well, the first time we're going to be properly alone. We can do anything we really want as long as it doesn't involve alcohol or coffee and I'm so excited about having the brilliant Richard Castle to myself" she explained from within the bathroom, her body stepping into the shower quickly as the writer nodded and went to prepare their breakfast.

Entering the kitchen a few moments later, Kate smiled as she watched the writer finish making their breakfast before turning around to look at her. She was beautiful, even with her dark hair soaking wet and her hands towelling it desperately dry while she wear a deep red summer dress. Beckoning her over with a finger, he smiled as she approached him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him quickly.

"Good morning fiancée" he smiled, Kate beaming onto his lips at the new name that she had. She was Richard Castle's fiancée and she loved the idea of it.

"Good morning fiancé" she giggled, enjoying the sound of it on her tongue as she moved forward and kissed him again, allowing the writer to deepen the kiss before he moved away slightly. "Breakfast" she whispered, amazed when he lifted her into his arms without any hassle from the added weight she'd gained. Carrying her to the couch, he rested her on it before disappearing to get their food, returning with a tray quickly. "God you're amazing" she sighed, staring at the selection in front of her.

"I think I could get used to you saying that" he declared, a laugh leaving her lips as she leant over and kissed him before grabbing one of the bowls of fruit salad and resting back against the cushions. "So I was thinking about the baby last night".

"Okay" she muttered, her eyes staring at him as she sighed and watched him eat some of the fruit for a moment. "I think about him most nights now" she declared, his eyes rolling before looking down at the bump before looking back up at her and into her green eyes. The eyes he loved so much.

"I know how much family means to you and well I was wondering if we could name the baby Christopher James" he admitted, confusion covering her face as he sighed, knowing he had to explain his decision. "My mom's dad was called Christopher and in a way he helped raise me and well, your dad is James so I thought Christopher James would be nice. If he was a girl, Johanna would be my first name choice" he explained, Kate smiling at his honesty before also for caring about her family and wishes. "We don't have too though, I'm sure you've come up with some ideas of your own which are wonderful".

"Christopher James Castle" she smiled, her hands running to her bump as she laughed. "I love it Rick, it's perfect" she sighed, looking down to stare at where her hands were resting. Hearing a small click, she looked up quickly to see Rick sitting there with his camera in his hands, a large smile on his face. "What are you doing?"

"I don't have any pictures of you and I love photos and well you're so beautiful, I need to have hundreds of you around " he smiled, the detective rolling her eyes at him before returning to her breakfast. "Get used to it because the cameras going to be out for the whole holiday" he laughed, kissing her quickly as she sighed.

"Well I guess we do need some photographs" she sighed, shocking the writer with the fact that she was telling him he was right about something. "I want copies though for here" she smiled, the writer staring at her in shock. "What now?"

"You're going to be my wife Detective, so I presumed that you would be moving into the loft with me" he admitted, standing quickly to carry their bowls into the kitchen. Turning her head, she watched as he washed up silently, shock continuing to cover her face.

"Castle are you asking me to move in?" she asked, the writer nodding as he looked up at her. "God I've got a name for my son and now I'm moving in with you and we haven't even let the apartment yet" she announced, looking at her father's watch quickly in shock. "It's not even eight o'clock Rick".

"What can I say, you make crazy things happen" he smiled, putting the bowls away before looking at her. "Are you ready to go Kate?" he asked; the detective nodding quickly as she stood up and went to collect her case. Watching her appear, he smiled as he walked over and took the case from her, the detective opening her mouth to argue but stopping when his finger pressed against her lips. "No arguing detective" he warned, her eyes rolling as she sighed and followed him out of the apartment.

XOXOXOXXOXO

"Are you peeking?" he asked as he parked the car and turned to look at the detective who had a red scarf around her eyes and yet was still beaming, his hands immediately grabbing the camera and taking a picture. Putting the object down, he quickly climbed out of the car and went to help her, her hand clutching onto his desperately as she stepped out of the vehicle, the writers arm wrapping around her to help her balance.

"Can I see now?" she asked, Rick nodding as he undid the scarf and took it away from her eyes, beaming when she moved forward slightly and stared in shock. "You own this?" she asked, turning to look as he nodded quickly and sighed. "It's stunning, oh my god am I really staying here?" she questioned, the writer laughing as his arms wrapped around her.

"All of this is ours detective" he whispered onto her neck, Kate giggling as she turned around and kissed him. "Want a tour?" he asked; her head nodding fast as he led her to the house and opened the door. Leading her inside, he watched as she stared at all the photos that covered the walls and surfaces of the corridor, the smile growing on her face as she stared at one of Rick lying on the wooden floors with a young Alexis sat on his back, beaming up into the camera.

"I love this photo" Kate admitted, the writer nodding as he sighed. "I love them all actually" she explained, allowing him to hold her hand and lead her into the living room that overlooked the sea. "This is beautiful" she sighed, walking over to the glass doors to see the sea and sand in front of her like he'd promised. Approaching her quickly, he wrapped his arms around her and sighed, allowing her to rest against him.

"Why don't we unpack, have lunch and then just go outside? I've wanted to see you in a swim suit for weeks" he smiled, her eyes rolling before she nodded and kissed him. "I'm glad I don't have to share you here. I'm very selfish when it comes to you" he admitted, the detective beaming at his comment.

"You don't have to worry about sharing me, what about you? The whole world knows who you are" she laughed, the writer shrugging as the detective sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck once she'd turned around. "I've got to share you with millions of people".

"As long as you're happy to share me with Alexis and Chris, we should be okay" he smiled, Kate nodding quickly as she kissed him lightly and held onto his hand, never wanting to let go of how he was making her feel.


	36. Chapter 36

**Warning, Kate might seem really out of character in this chapter and I have no idea where this chapter came from but for some idea I decided to go with it because it seemed to work and well, my mind seemed to like it for some reason. Thank you for your reviews and please continue to comment, I love hearing from you all about what you think of the story and I hope to able to update in my normal amount soon. Sorry for the delay, laptop issues still!**

Lying on the beach, Kate sighed as she relaxed on the sands, the sun beaming down at her as the writer watched her from the sea. She was beautiful. Her brown hair curled naturally while the black swim suit flattered her figure and highlighted the bump they both adored. Walking out of the cool water, he quickly approached her and smiled, sitting beside her quickly. Running his hand to the bump, he smiled as her hand joined his, bringing a smile to his face. He was engaged to the most beautiful woman in the world and he was happy. He'd never felt this way about Meredith and Gina and it was exciting and new.

"Our families are coming tomorrow, that includes the precinct lot as well. I thought a family barbecue maybe, it's easier than having to cook something properly and I know we'll never get Lanie off the beach once she gets here" he smiled, Kate nodding as she removed her sunglasses and beamed at him, her eyes locking on his as he leant down and sighed, his lips moving to hers quickly. "And I thought that maybe, you'd like to marry me as well" he suggested onto her lips, shocking her slightly as her eyes locked onto his to see the sincerity in them.

"You're serious?" she asked, sitting up quickly in shock. "You're serious about marrying me Rick? Tomorrow?" she asked quickly, the writer nodding as she bit into her lip and turned, staring across at the house and then back at the sea. Standing quickly, she grabbed his shirt and pulled it on, pacing up and down for a moment as she thought about everything. He wanted to marry her tomorrow? It seemed like an unbelievable fairy tale and not her life. Richard Castle, the novelist who she adored, wanted to sweep her off her feet tomorrow and marry her.

"I could make it perfect Kate, our families and friends on the beach. Beach barbecue as a reception, everything could be perfect and it could happen Kate" he promised, the detective staring at him in shock.

"It sounds like a fairy tale Rick and fairy tales aren't real. There aren't happy every afters in real life, in my life" she explained, the writer standing quickly and taking hold of her hands. "This doesn't seem real Rick, it can't be real. Things like this don't happen to me ever. If anything, the complete opposite happens to me".

"This can be out fairy tale then Kate. I can make it everything you've ever dreamt of" he smiled, his arms wrapping around her as she stared at him. "I want to give you everything I can, I got you pregnant and that's not right. We went wrong there but from that I've realised all I want in the world is to spend my life with you because I haven't smiled this much because of a woman in my whole life except for my daughter" he explained, shocking her slightly. "You're not a fake person. You do a proper job and you make my daughter happy and you keep me on my toes, so why can't we have a fairy tale?" Rick asked.

"Because they're not real?" she whispered, the writer pulling her close before kissing her lightly. "Rick I want to marry you but this just seems too much like a dream" she admitted, the writer staring at her as he ran his fingers across her cheek.

"Stop overthinking it Kate. It's time to stop thinking with this" he smiled, touching her head and laughing before kissing her again. "And start thinking with this" he sighed, resting his hand above her heart and smiling. Standing in silence for a moment, the writer beamed before getting down onto one knee. "Katherine Beckett, will you marry me tomorrow?" he asked, silence filling their surroundings for a moment.

"Yes" she whispered, helping him off the floor before pressing her lips to his. "Yes, let's do it. Give me the fairy tale Rick. I want a fairy tale, I'm fed up of just having murders" she smiled, kissing him quickly before laughing. "We're getting married" she squealed, Rick nodding at the statement before lifting her into his arms. "Oh my god we're getting married tomorrow" she panicked, staring into the writers blue eyes as her fingers ran through his hair. "We need to get a move on Rick, there's so much we have to get done".

"You need to stop stressing already, I'll get it done" he sighed, Kate glaring at him as her feet touched the ground again and she crossed her arms across her chest, her eyebrows rising. "I promise I'll get it sorted Kate" he smiled, pressing a small kiss to her forehead before taking hold of her hand and smiling at her. "Why don't you go and call people? Tell them about tomorrow? Although, I'll do my mom and Alexis" he suggested, Kate nodding as she slipped inside the house, smiling to herself.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Girl why are you calling me? You're on holiday, enjoy it" Lanie moaned, the detective smiling as she relaxed on the bed and sighed, her hand running to her stomach before she giggled lightly. "Someone sounds happy, what's going on in the Hamptons then?" the ME quickly asked, the sound of a man's voice down the line bringing a bigger smile onto Kate's face.

"Are Ryan and Esposito with you?" Kate asked, hoping that they were so she could do this in one and stop herself from having to do it separately. "I really need to talk to all three of you, if they are there. It's about tomorrow" she explained.

"Sure, I'll put you on speaker" Lanie explained, doing what she said quickly and sighing. "So what do you have to tell us about tomorrow?" she asked; Ryan and Esposito moving closer to the phone as Kate breathed out and stared down at her engagement ring.

"Well tomorrow isn't just going to be a barbecue anymore" she explained, knowing this would confuse and interest her friends. Waiting for a moment as silence filled the room, she smiled before approaching the window and seeing Rick pacing up and down the beach with his phone to his ear. "Rick and I are getting married as well" she finally admitted, three gasps responding quickly in answer.

"You're getting married? Oh wow" Lanie smiled, Esposito and Ryan laughing at the comment. "None of us were expecting that" Lanie admitted, the two detectives nodding in agreement as Lanie rolled her eyes. "Ryan and Esposito would talk but they're in shock right now, I'm sure they'll respond in a minute" the ME laughed, earning a glare from the two men.

"Congratulations Beckett" Ryan beamed, his voice still highlighting his obvious shock at Kate's news.

"Yeah congratulations Beckett" Esposito smiled in the direction of the phone, Kate sighing as Rick turned outside and waved at her, the brunette beaming as she waved back. "Well we've got to go Beckett; Montgomery keeps sending us messages so we'll see you tomorrow. Congratulations again" the man smiled, Kate smiling as she whispered her thanks and then said her goodbyes, slipping the phone back into her back quickly before she ran her fingers through her hair. She was getting married tomorrow!

**So what do you think? If you really don't like it, I'll probably delete it and attempt a different direction so please tell me what you think. **


	37. Chapter 37

Sitting on the porch, Kate watched as the writer walked up and down the beach with his phone pressed to his ear, occasionally stopping when he thought of something. She loved watching him work, although she'd never admit that to him because of the fact she hated how much he watched her at the precinct, but she adored the concentration that covered his face when he was doing business; even when it happened at the precinct. Hearing laughter, she looked around the corner to see the crowd of people approaching the house, her smile growing as she climbed out of her seat and quickly walked over, her arms wrapping around her dad quickly.

"Congratulations Katie" he whispered into her ear, the brunette nodding as she moved away and smiled, revealing the ring on her finger to the crowd; laughing when Lanie immediately grabbed her hand and stared at the ring with Martha and Alexis. "How are you feeling?" Jim asked, looking at his daughter who was smiling at the people around her.

"Nervous, I've never had a wedding day before and I never planned one the night before either. I don't advise it to anyone, it's hard work especially pregnant as well" she laughed, everyone smiling at the comment before Rick walked over and shook Jim's hand, Alexis' arms wrapping around his neck after he'd moved away from Kate's father. "We've got lunch prepared, so come and sit down" Kate smiled, walking towards the house as everyone followed her inside.

"Isn't dad supposed to be looking after you Kate? You shouldn't be cooking for us, we should be cooking for you" Alexis asked as she sat around the table with everyone and watched the detective bring the food out, her eyes rolling at the comment as she turned to see Rick pacing again with the phone against his ear. "What's he doing?" she asked quickly, Kate finally sitting down once she brought the last bit of food out.

"He's sorting wedding things out, he's in-charge of everything" Kate explained, turning to look at her fiancé before waving him over. "Rick lunch" she called over, everyone smiling as he walked over and kissed her lightly, sitting beside her in amusement before staring at the family and friends around them. "So how was the journey?" Kate asked, desperately trying to start a conversation.

"Long" Ryan announced, turning to look at Esposito who was glaring at him. "Esposito got lost twice actually" he explained.

"Four times actually and he kept refusing to ask for directions" Lanie explained, Rick and Kate beaming at them as they held hands under the table. "In the end I had to pretend to feel sick so we could stop and I could find someone to ask. He didn't talk to us for the rest of the journey" she laughed, Esposito's eyes rolling as everyone smiled at them and sighed.

"So Castle, how's the wedding plans going?" Esposito asked, turning to look away from Lanie who rolled her eyes this time and smiled.

"Okay, I've got to keep it a secret from this one" he smiled, looking at Kate who beamed and kissed his cheek gently. "But it's going really well and it'll be perfect, I promise" he whispered, leaning across to kiss his fiancée lightly as everyone smiled at them. Hearing his phone ring again, Kate sighed as she watched him reach across for it; stuffing the food into his mouth as he took hold of it.

"Rick, it's lunch. Can you stay off the phone for one minute please? Our family has just arrived" Kate asked quickly, the writer sighing as he shut his eyes slowly and finished eating before looking at her. "Just for lunch please, I haven't talked to you properly all day and I'd really like to spend some time with you" she admitted, the writer smiling as he quickly hung up the phone and smiled at her.

"I never knew you were so clingy detective" he smiled, her eyes rolling as she hit him lightly and laughed. "I love this side of you Katie, can I see you like this more please?" he admitted, moving to kiss her lightly as she giggled while everyone stared at them. Most of them hadn't ever seen the detective this happy and it felt refreshing to see her relaxing in the chair with her partner before sighing and staring at everyone.

"So what are you wearing tonight?" Lanie asked, Kate smiling as she looked up at Rick who quickly covered his ears with his hands, beginning to sing out loud while everyone laughed at him. "You can show us later" she admitted, Kate nodding as she sighed and began to finish her meal.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX 

Staring out of the window, Lanie and the two redheads watched as the writer finished lighting the candles outside, Ryan and Esposito watching in amusement. Opening the door, Kate looked out to see all their backs; the detective beaming as she ran her hands to her stomach and smiled quickly.

"So what do you think?" Kate asked, forcing the three women to turn around to see her standing in the doorway of the en-suite. The white dress was figure hugging and yet highlighted the bump to the best and her breasts while her brown hair was curled with some it pinned back. "Do I look okay? I have another dress but I wanted to wear white and look a little bit bridal" she asked quickly, looking down to stare at herself as Alexis walked over and nodded.

"You look gorgeous" Alexis smiled, kissing her cheek as Kate beamed and did a little turn. "Don't change the dress, dad will love it" the redhead sighed, Kate's arms wrapping around her for a moment before there was a small knock at the door. Watching as Jim Beckett slipped in, the three women smiled at Kate before excusing themselves and leaving.

"Hey daddy" she sighed, Jim moving closer to her as she sighed and allowed him to hug her. "I got you something, your mother wanted you have to it" he admitted, moving away slowly to take something out of his pocket and sighed, Kate watching as he undid the wrapping and revealed the simple bracelet. "It's beautiful" she explained, holding her wrist out as he placed it on it.

"You're mother wore it on our wedding day, her mother bought it for her and she said the moment you were born that you were going to wear it on your wedding day whether you wanted to or not" Jim laughed as Kate smiled and stared at the bracelet, loving the way it looked on her wrist.

"Do you think I look okay dad?" she asked, staring at herself as Jim nodded at her.

"I think you look so much like your mother right now" he admitted, tears filling Kate's eyes as she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You look so beautiful Katie, she would have been so proud of everything you've done with your life" he explained, smiling at her as she sighed and walked towards the window, looking out at the beach and all the candles. "He's crazy about you Kate, he wants everything to be perfect for you and he's trying so hard. I don't think he's had a break since lunch".

"I know" Kate sighed, watching as Rick walked up and down the beach fiddling with the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. "I'm rather crazy about him too daddy, he makes me really happy" she admitted, turning to see her father watching her with a smirk on his face. Hearing a knock at the door, Kate turned as Martha appeared.

"It's time" the redhead smiled, Kate nodding as she walked over to her father and kissed his cheek. "You do look stunning Kate" Martha commented, the brunette beaming as she approached the door and slowly walked out of the room with her father and soon to be mother in law. Walking down the stairs, Kate laughed as she beamed at the images she saw outside the window. Breathing out once she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, she approached the door and rested her hands on her stomach; watching as everyone took their seats outside on the beach while Rick stood perfectly still.

"Are you ready for this?" Jim asked, Kate nodding as she stared at the candles that lit the now darkening beach. "Let's go and get you married then before you change your mind" her father smiled, leading her down the aisle between the seats as Rick watched her in amazement. She looked completely radiant and he loved her more than anything in the world in that exact moment. Joining him, she smiled as he took hold of her hand.

"You look extraordinary Katherine, absolutely beautiful" Rick whispered, Kate beaming at him as she leant across and kissed his cheek. Staring at the man in front of her, Kate smiled as he began to speak; the feeling of her hand in Rick's making her sigh. Turning to look at each other, they both laughed gently as Rick took hold of her other hand and stared into her eyes. "Katherine Beckett, I don't think there's either been a woman like you in my life before and I don't want there to be another one. You're grounded, independent and strong minded and I love that about you, actually I love everything about you" he admitted, shocking her slightly. "I can't wait for our future together because what we've had already had been pretty amazing" he explained, taking the ring into his finger and sighing. "I promise to always be your partner, best friend and lover and also be the best father I can" he explained, slipping the ring onto her finger before relaxing.

"Richard, god that sounds weird" she laughed, staring up at him before the writer beamed at her. "I can't believe we're getting married, I can't believe this is happening but I promise to always be the best wife I can and the best mother to our baby although you'll have to be patient. You're so different to the other men I've been with, you're funny and don't take life completely seriously and I need that. I need this" she admitted, holding the ring that Ryan had brought up with him from the city that morning before slipping it onto his finger.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride" the older man smiled, Kate beaming as Rick's arm slipped around her and he slowly kissed her, the detective giggling as they stared at each other a few moments later.

"Hello Mrs Castle" he smiled, keeping her close to him as she bit into her lip. "We're married now, Katherine" he smiled, Kate nodding as she leant up and kissed him again.

"It's quite scary actually" she laughed, the writer nodding before she gasped and ran her hands to her stomach. "Oh my god" the detective beamed, grabbing his hands and bringing it to her stomach so he could feel the kick of their baby. "Rick, he's kicking. Chris is actually kicking".

"That's amazing, he must know it's an important day" he smiled, the writer nodding before they held hands and walked down the aisle, everyone beaming at them as the couple walked past them.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Walking down the beach with her husband, Kate sighed as Rick's arm slipped around her waist and kept her close, her brown hair flowing in the wind lightly while the sound of the group of friends and family in the backgrounds singing filled the air. Laughing when she turned to see Lanie and Esposito dancing around the bonfire they'd built on the sand, Kate sighed once she stopped and stared at her husband, their arms wrapping around each other as they slowly began to sway along to music in their head.

"You look beautiful" he whispered, Kate blushing as she watched him. "You always look beautiful actually, I can't believe how stunning you looked walking down the aisle" he edited, the detective laughing as she felt the sea water wash over their feet; unable to stop herself from laughing. "Katie, I'm glad we did this".

"So am I" she admitted, kissing him lightly as his hands ran across her stomach. "I don't think I could have thought or organised anything as perfect as this was Rick. You did an amazing job" she smiled, the writer shrugging as she laughed and kissed him lightly. "Honestly, the candles and the chairs and the barbecue was brilliantly. Although I think we should keep Ryan, Esposito and Lanie away from alcohol and fire in the future, it doesn't seem to be a very good mix" she explained, watching as the three people in question continued to dance around the fire.

"They're happy, we're happy. I think it's gone pretty well" he laughed, holding onto her hand as they began to walk back down the beach towards the house. "Although it's late, you're exhausted however much you try to hide it and I think Alexis has already snuck off to bed" he explained, Kate nodding as she sighed and buried herself into his side. "Kate I need to tell you something".

"Okay tell me" she smiled, the writer beaming at her as he looked down at her, knowing this was the most important thing he was most likely going to tell her for a while.

"I love you" he whispered, her smile growing as she stared at him and slowly touched his cheek, her lips moving to his for a moment before she sighed and shut her eyes. "I'm really in love with you" he sighed.

"Good because I'm in love with you too Rick" she beamed, kissing him lightly before they both laughed.

**So what do you think? I'm not sure but I'm pretty impressed by the length of it. I don't think I've ever written this much in my life except for English essays. **


	38. Chapter 38

"Stop it" she giggled as she lay on the sand, his lips running down her neck as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his lips on her skin while his hands ran across her bump. They'd both woken up early due to their son kicking her again and after a long walk on the beach had decided to rest on the beach while everyone continued to sleep, leading to their long make out session. "I can't believe we're married" she admitted, her fingers running through his hair as he looked up at her before pressing a kiss to her stomach and moving to lie beside her. "I mean after all this time, after everything we're now a married couple" she explained, enjoying the feel of his fingers drawing circles on the baby bump.

"Mrs Castle" he smiled at her, her head nodding as she turned to face him, the two of them lying on their sides while they continued to look into their eyes. "I know you've changed your last name officially but are you going to be Detective Beckett or Detective Castle because honestly, I don't mind if you want to stay Detective Beckett Kate, I mean that's how you've built up your career" he explained, Kate nodding as she sighed and ran her hand across her stomach.

"Thank you for being so understanding Rick" she admitted, moving so he was lying on his back and she looking down at him. "I love you, I can't actually believe that I actually love you" she whispered, kissing him lightly before burying her head into his chest while his fingers ran up and down her back. "God are we really married Castle? I'm not dreaming this am I because it seems far too perfect to be real?" she asked, looking up at him to see a large smile covering his face.

"Kate this is one hundred per cent real" he beamed, amusement covering both their faces as she giggled and kissed him again, the sound of someone squealing causing her to move away to see Lanie and Alexis standing behind them in shock. "Morning ladies" Rick laughed, Kate's cheeks burning red as she sat up and grabbed the shirt of his she'd been wearing over her swim suit earlier.

"Dad, you have a room why don't you use it? I mean you have the biggest room in the whole house and you decide to make out where everyone can see you" Alexis moaned, Kate smiling at the teenager's comments before she stood up and hugged the teenager close to her. "You're not forgiven either Kate" the redhead laughed, Kate smiling down at Alexis before nodding, the sound of talking from the house increasing.

"I was thinking we could go out for breakfast, I can't be bothered to cook for so many of us" Rick announced, the three women nodding as the others joined them. "Well Kate and I are going to get dressed and then we'll go and get some food because I'm hungry" he explained, Kate nodding as she took hold of his hand and walked towards the house with him, everyone watching them in amusement.

XOXOXOOXOXXOX

"So I thought we could do Chris' nursery when we get back to the city. I mean we've only got boxes full of furniture yet and I want to be able to help" Kate explained as she sat beside her husband in the café, everyone watching them as Rick smiled and nodded, kissing her quickly as all the women at the table sighed at them. They were the perfect couple it seemed to anyone who was watching them. "Montgomery's got me doing half days now and its only desk work so I have all the time in the world to decorate" she explained, Rick nodding again before he kissed her once more, moving only when the young blonde waitress returned to them with the orders of teas, coffees and orange juices.

"Well then, we'll go paint shopping when we get back" he explained, Alexis clearing her throat as he groaned, knowing what she was hinting at. "Maybe the day after we get back because I have another meeting with Gina the day we get back and then I'll have to go and see Paula about this whole marriage because she'll be angry if she doesn't know about it and if the press find out we'll want a statement to release" he announced, Kate nodding as she finally remembered the world she'd married herself into. She was married to a famous novelist, of course people would need statements and comments, he'd have meetings with his ex-wife about his book and she needed to get used to that. She had to get used to the fact that once they left the Hamptons she'd be sharing Richard Castle with more than just family and friends, she'd be sharing him with America.

"Katie are you okay?" Jim Beckett asked, noticing the distant look on her face as everyone turned to look at her, worry covering their faces as she smiled weakly at her father and nodded. "You zoned out then Kate" he smiled, the detective shaking her head as everyone smiled at her but Rick who continued to look at her nervously.

"Can we have a word outside Kate?" he asked, Kate nodding as she walked out of the café with him, everyone watching them as they disappeared outside and walked down the street in silence for a moment. "What's wrong with you today? You've seen to disappear in the last five minutes" he asked quickly, worry covering his face as they stopped and fell silent; his arms wrapping around her slowly.

"I just realised that once we've left here I'm going to be sharing you with everyone" she admitted, laughing to herself at how stupid she sounded. She'd never been clingy but for some reason she didn't want what was going on in the Hampton's to change. "I mean we're not going to be able to just walk where we want when we want and I won't be able to have you all to myself anymore, I'm not just going to be sharing you with family but with all your fans and the press and your ex-wives" she admitted, the smile growing on his face as he leant down and kissed her lightly.

"You're so sweet" he laughed onto her lips, Kate giggling quickly as his arms wrapped around her and he held her close for a while. "Don't worry, you won't have to share me often and even when you do, I'll be thinking about you, Alexis and Chris twenty four seven because I love you" he smiled, a laugh leaving her lips as she nodded and kissed him lightly. "Right, let's go and get you some breakfast, you need to get some food in you for our baby" he beamed, kissing her again before they began to walk back down the street towards the café to see everyone inside laughing, food out in front of them as they slipped inside and returned to their seats with smiles on their faces.

XOXOXOXOXOOXO

"Javier Esposito you just keep on surprising me" Lanie beamed as she continued to eat the meal Esposito had prepared for the remaining wedding party. Martha, Alexis and Jim had returned to the city because of rehearsals, school and work the following day while the detectives, ME and writer were free for one more day. "Since when could you cook like this? This is like sex in food" she asked quickly, amusement covering her face as everyone stared at the male detective who was rolling his eyes at the ME's comments.

"Since forever, I just don't have the time to cook properly and I usually have a take out with Ryan" he explained, Lanie nodding in response to his answer as Kate laughed and continued to eat the meal in front of her, Rick's arm around her waist as everyone fell into a comfortable silence. "Seeing that I've cooked for you Dr Parish, you have to cook for me one day" he smiled at the ME, amusement covering everyone's faces as they noticed the way the ME and detective were looking at each other.

"It's a date then Esposito" Lanie smiled, Ryan's eyebrows rising in amusement as Kate and Rick laughed. It was clear that the detective and ME were flirting and had been for most of the evening and Kate was happy to see that she wasn't the only one who was happy with someone.

"Just a warning Esposito, eat before you go to Lanie's because she can't cook" Kate smiled, the woman turning around to clear at the female detective who was now cuddled up against her husband, amusement covering Kate's face as Esposito watched her. "She always gets distracted by something, the amount of time I've had to go swimming through a fog of smoke because she's got interested in painting her nails is more times than I can remember".

"Thanks Kate" Lanie hissed, Esposito beaming before smiling at the ME. "And I can cook, if I don't get distracted by other more important things" she laughed, everyone smiling as they began to laugh themselves.

**Right, I know this chapter wasn't good but I wanted to write and so I wrote it. Anyway in the next chapter Kate and Rick return to the city and a surprise visitor turns up at the loft, sound interesting? Anyway, please review, I do love hearing from you and I know this isn't the most entertaining chapter but it's more of a filler rather than a drama filled chapter. Thank you for reading. **


	39. Chapter 39

**I really wanted to send a message back to "AgentJade" for her comment but I was unable to, so hopefully you're reading this. I wanted to say thank you so much for your review and I found it extremely helpful. I promise to start working on my sentences; I do know I go on a bit. So thank you! Thank you also to everyone who else reviewed, added this onto their favourites and story alerts. I really do appreciate everything you do in relation to this story and I hope you continue to enjoy it. I know I'm not very good at replying to your reviews but I am mainly based on my phone except for when I upload so I struggle to find the time but I wanted you to know how much they mean to me! Anyway on with the story! **

"Welcome home Mrs Castle" Rick laughed, carrying her over the threshold in his arms, bridal style. He loved the feel of her in his arms, even more than before because she was now his wife! Kate Beckett was his wife and he loved it. Putting her back down onto her feet, Rick smiled when her arms slipped around his neck and she pressed her lips to his, taking the kiss she wanted. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, they quickly moved away from each other, knowing Alexis would be uncomfortable if she caught them. "Pumpkin what's wrong?" he asked, the redhead appearing in the room as frustration appeared across her face.

"Did you know she was coming?" she asked; the frustration clear in her voice as her arms crossed across her chest. Kate had never seen the teenager looking so angry since they'd told her that she was pregnant and it worried her. "Dad did you know she was coming?" Alexis asked again, her eyes staring into the writers while Kate just stood in the silence.

"Who?" he asked, looking around the apartment quickly. There was no sign of anyone else being there so what was she talking about? "Alexis? Who?" he asked, moving closer to his daughter before he noticed the bright pink jacket in the background. "Oh no, she's not here is she?" he muttered, the redhead nodding as Kate continued to stare in confusion. Now she was the one asking herself who? "Why's she here? Did she say?" he asked, the redhead's head shaking quickly before Rick groaned and turned to look at his wife to see the confusion that was covering her face. "We have a visitor" he muttered.

"I gathered that much. Want to tell me who?" she asked, her eyebrows rising as she placed her hands on her stomach, trying to settle the kicks that had just started. "Rick?" she muttered, moving closer to him as he groaned and pressed his forehead against hers. Why? Why did this happen now? Why did she have to come now?

"Meredith has apparently come to stay" he explained, her eyes shutting at the name. Ex-wife number one was going to be under the same roof as wife number three was the thought that was running through Kate's, Rick's and even Alexis' heads. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, they all turned to see the redhead standing there, smiling down at them before walking over and beaming at the writer. "Hello Meredith, this is a surprise" he commented, desperately trying not to sound annoyed at her. She was a free spirit, he understood that. What he didn't understand however was her turning up at any time thinking the world would stop for her.

"I was in the area and thought I'd come and see my daughter" she shrugged, her eyes moving to look at the brunette who was cuddled into Rick's side. Looking down, she smirked as she noticed the bump. Kate noticing what the woman was staring at her before she slipped her arms around it in an attempt to hide it. "Oh Richard not another one" Meredith laughed, Rick's arm tightening around Kate at that comment. This wasn't the same as Meredith. He loved Kate more than he'd ever loved Meredith in the whole time of their relationship.

"I don't know what you mean. Kate, this is Meredith, Alexis' mother. Meredith this is Detective Kate Beckett, my wife and the mother of this one of course" he explained, Kate smiling at the new introduction as the redhead's eyebrows rose. So this was wife number three? "So where are you staying Meredith?" he asked quickly, knowing what the answer would be.

"Here of course. I always stay here in the guest bedroom well except for those times when we have a bit of fun" she smirked, the writer looking down as Kate stared up at them. She didn't want Meredith here. She already felt uncomfortable in her presence and all she wanted was the redhead to leave. Kate understood that the woman was Alexis' mother and it was rare of the teenager to see her but she didn't like the way she just invited herself to stay and ruined their plans.

"That might be a bit hard since we're redecorating the guest room" Kate announced, staring up at her husband quickly. "Aren't we Rick?" she smiled, the writer nodding quickly.

"I'm sure your plans can wait a couple of days. I won't be here for long" the redhead smiled, Kate biting into her lip to stop herself from comment. Why wasn't Rick saying something? He'd promised that they'd decorate Chris' nursery when they got back to the city and he wasn't defending that plan. He was just shying away in the background. "Come on Rick, where else am I going to go? I'm Alexis' mother after all; I want to spend as much time with her as possible".

"You can still spend time with me and stay at a hotel" Alexis commented, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I do have school though" the redhead added.

"Skip. Alexis it's not often we have the chance to see each other and I want to spend time with my little girl" she beamed, the redhead's eyes shutting before she shrugged and walked towards the stairs, leaving the adults alone. Hearing her phone ring, Kate groaned as she dug into her pocket for it.

"Beckett" Kate answered into the phone, practically hoping it would be a case that she was urgently needed for. She needed to get out of the apartment and away from the redhead. Putting the phone down a few moments later, Kate sighed as she looked up at her husband and shrugged. "Ryan and Esposito need help on a case, I'll be home in a couple of hours" she explained, kissing his cheek lightly before grabbing her jacket.

"Kate wait" he blurted out, walking towards the door with her. Standing in front of the door, he stared at her for a moment before kissing her lightly. "Come home soon" he whispered, brushing a stray piece of hair away from her face. He could see the frustration in her eyes and it hurt him to see her so angry.

"I'll come home when she's in a hotel. I can see her judging me Rick" she announced, opening the door quickly before slipping out of it. She just wanted to think about something else for a while, rather than the woman who was in her home.

XOOXOXOXOXOXOX

She was exhausted. She'd been sat at the desk staring at the murder board for hours, waiting for a phone call from Rick saying Meredith was in a hotel. But she'd never received that message or any message at all. It had been Montgomery who'd sent her home, telling her she needed to rest for herself and the baby and that the case would still be there in the morning if she was really that desperate. So that was why she was stood in front of her apartment door, searching through her bag for the keys to the door. Opening it slowly, she yawned before staring into the apartment. She felt the shock build in her veins as she watched the image in front of her.

Richard Castle was kissing Meredith. Her husband was kissing his ex-wife with only a towel on. Watching as his hands moved to Meredith's chest, she bit back a sob before turning away. They hadn't even been married a week and he had his tongue in someone else's mouth. His ex-wife's mouth! Moving backwards, she observed the writer move away and look at her, shock covering his face.

"Kate" he announced, taking a giant step away from the actress as the detective shook her head and walked out of the apartment. Slamming the door behind her!

**So one, our mystery visitor was Meredith. **

**Two there's a cliff-hanger. **

**And three, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	40. Chapter 40

**Oh wow! What an amazing response to the last chapter. Honestly, I'm so grateful for all your reviews, they really do mean so much to me and I love hearing all your opinions on this story. A lot of you mentioned that Rick was OOC kissing Meredith but that'll be explained in this chapter and I hope you enjoy this and review again! **

Entering the break room, he turned at the sound of sobs and found himself looking at a sight he never thought he'd see. Kate Beckett was lying on the break room couch, curled up as much as she could with her back to him, crying. Walking over, he knelt beside her slightly before resting his hand on her shoulder, watching as she turned. Her face was red and her eyes were bloodshot, indicating she'd been crying for a long time before he'd found her. But she'd left. She'd gone home, happy. She'd planned on making dinner for Rick and planning colours for the nursery because Meredith would be in a hotel. Rick had told her that he'd get rid of his ex by the time she returned. So what had happened?

"You eaten?" he asked; her head shaking slowly as he helped her off the couch. "Let's go and get a burger and then you can tell me what's going on with you" he sighed. He'd never seen Beckett like this before. She was quiet and emotional, her only action was resting her hands on her bump as they approached the lift in silence; aware of the eyes watching them. Standing in the metal box, he sighed at the sight of another tear running down her cheeks. She couldn't stop herself. It hurt. The memory of her husband, the man she married, kissing another woman; the woman he'd divorced years ago. "Beckett?" Montgomery announced, stepping her out of her thoughts as they walked out of the elevator and towards the door. "Has someone hurt you Kate?" he asked, her head shaking slowly. She wasn't in physical pain but emotionally, she was being tortured!

"No" she finally muttered, walking down the street with him as they passed crowds of people. "It's Rick" she whispered, entering the diner with the detective and sliding into one of the booths. "He was kissing Meredith when I got back to the apartment" she admitted, hating how weak she sounded. She was Detective Kate Beckett; she didn't get ruined by a man. She was more than that! But here she was, crumbling because the man she was in love with didn't seem to love her as much as she wanted.

"What do you mean he was kissing her?" he asked quickly. He knew how much Castle loved the woman in front of him, so why was he touching another woman? His ex-wife especially? They all knew about how much Rick disliked the redhead and how the only reason he was pleasant to her was because of their daughter. Roy knew about the fact Meredith had cheated on the writer and that had been one of the reasons for their divorce. So why was he kissing her when he was now married to Kate? Someone who really did clearly love him.

"Properly on the lips, he was only dressed in a towel. What if he slept with her Roy? What if he's cheating on me with Meredith?" she announced, finally breaking as she felt the tears run down her cheeks, her hands covering her face. She was crying in front of her Captain. A man who she greatly respected and wanted to respect her and yet she was in tears in front of him; discussing the idea that her husband was cheating with another woman. "We're having a baby together, we're having a son. Why would he do that?" she sobbed.

"Kate, you need to calm down" Roy sighed, knowing he had to get her to stop crying before he got more information from her. "Now choose a burger and a drink, anything you want you can have" he sighed, Kate smiling weakly as the waitress walked over and they both ordered their choices. "Kate, I think you need to talk to Castle once you've calmed down. You need to give him that chance to explain about what happened" Roy admitted, watching Kate play with her wedding and engagement rings.

"He's a writer Roy, he makes things up for a living" she muttered, shutting her eyes as she thought about how she'd fallen in love with his words before she'd even met the man. "What if he did sleep with her? I can't bring up a baby on my own" she admitted, looking up at her boss. "I'd do anything for Chris but I can't be a good mother on my own, I don't want to be alone. I want Rick there with me. I want Chris to have his dad around" Kate admitted, another tear running down her cheek as she ran her hand across her stomach. Her son. She had to think about her son as well. Rick's actions didn't just affect her anymore. They affected their son and Alexis too.

"You're going to eat and then we're going to drive to your apartment and talk to Castle. I'll stay if you want me too" the Captain explained, shocking the detective. "Beckett, you're one of my best detectives but you're also a friend and part of the family. My wife would hate me if she found out I'd left you alone, upset and pregnant" he smiled, Kate laughing at the comment before nodding gently. She was glad she wasn't alone. When she'd gone to the precinct, she just wanted the comfort of somewhere where she felt safe and around people and that had led to Roy Montgomery taking her for a burger and helping her. If he hadn't she'd probably have slept on the couch, putting herself in unnecessary pain because of her worry about returning home.

"Thanks" she admitted, smiling weakly as their food arrived.

XOOXOXOXOXOXO

"Thank god" Rick sighed, running over as the door unlocked and Kate stepped through the doorway; her face still tearstained as Roy followed her inside. "Hello Roy" the writer announced, trying to hide his shock. At least it wasn't Esposito or Ryan because he was certain a fist would have hit his cheek already. "Kate, we need to talk about earlier. It's not what you think" he declared quickly, just wanting to see a smile on her face. The past few hours had been filled with phone calls and searches around, unable to find her anywhere.

"You were kissing her Rick. You were wearing just a towel and had nothing else on and you were kissing her. What am I supposed to think?" she asked quickly, her hands resting on her stomach to remind herself that she had to think about her son as well.

"She told me she was leaving so I went for a shower. I thought I'd take you to dinner tonight to celebrate being back in the city so I came downstairs and she just kissed me, I was pushing her away when you walked in. I wasn't trying to grope her I promise" Rick explained, staring into her eyes as he took hold of her hand. "I wouldn't cheat on you. I love you and our family too much to ever do that, especially with a woman I can barely stand" he sighed, moving closer as she bit into her lip, finding herself lost in his eyes again. "You know how much marrying you meant to me. I meant every word I said that day and every promise I made".

"She just kissed you" she whispered, remembering the story he'd told her moments before. "And you were only touching her to push her away" Kate repeated, Rick nodding as he rested his hands on her shoulders and stared down at her. "Where's she now?" the brunette asked quickly.

"At a hotel. I got my driver to take her, Alexis is furious over what happened" the writer explained, the detective looking up in the direction of where the teenagers bedroom was. "When she found out Meredith had kissed me and caused you to disappear she was so angry, I've never seen her argue like that before" he announced, shocking her. Alexis was the most gentle person she knew and the fact she'd gotten cross over the fact Rick and Meredith had hurt her made her feel the love the teenager felt towards her more than ever.

"Alexis argued with you?" Kate asked, watching him nod.

"And Meredith as well, mother was shocked by her behaviour as well. They're watching a movie upstairs now and ignoring me" he explained, Montgomery smirking at how much trouble the younger man was already in. "Kate, I'm so sorry for what I did and I know it'll take a while for you to forgive me but you've got to understand that I didn't want it because all I want is to spend the rest of my life with you".

"Cheesy" she laughed, the writer shrugging as she sighed. "It really hurt Rick, it really hurt seeing you kiss her" she admitted, the writer nodding in response. He knew he'd hurt her and he knew he deserved to be in trouble from everyone. He'd been caught kissing another woman while he was married to the woman of his dreams! He was in the wrong. "I don't want Meredith here. I know she needs to see Alexis but I don't want her in our home".

"Fine, I can do that and Alexis doesn't want to see her anyway. She practically told Meredith to go away because she'd hurt you" Rick admitted, holding his wife close as Montgomery smiled and slipped out of the apartment. He wasn't needed anymore. He hadn't been needed in the first place but he wanted to support his detective. "I love you Kate, never doubt that".

"I know" she sighed, allowing his arms to full envelope her as she buried her head into his chest. Her tears silently running down her cheeks and into the material. "Stupid hormones" she moaned against him, the writer laughing as he nodded and just held her. Never wanting to risk letting go again.

**So what do you think? I don't know why I decided to have Roy find her but I thought he was such a major part of Kate's life that it would sort of be nice to have him support her. So I hope you enjoyed this and please review, I do love hearing from you and it honestly does make me review faster. **

**Jessie. **


	41. Chapter 41

Hearing movement in the main area of the apartment, Kate sighed as she slipped out of bed and turned to look at her sleeping husband. She hadn't seen Alexis all night since she returned, Rick explaining that the teenager had locked herself in her room and was refusing to talk to anyone and who'd most likely fallen asleep while studying. Creeping out of the bedroom, she slowly walked down the corridor; smiling at the sight of the redhead who was sat in front of the remainder of the fire; a book on her lap.

"You know you should be asleep now, you've got tests tomorrow and I know you'll regret not sleeping properly in the morning" Kate smiled, Alexis turning to see Kate standing in the background. "However, I also know that you're a genius and do well in everything" the detective added, approaching the teenager quickly before kneeling beside her; her hand resting on her bump as Alexis stared down at her. "Come on you, I'll make you a tea and then we'll get you to bed".

"Thanks Kate" Alexis sighed, watching as the brunette slipped into the kitchen and began to prepare two teas. Walking over, the book still tucked under her arm; Alexis sighed at the simple act that Kate was performing that meant so much to her. "When did you come home?" she asked quickly, the brunette sighing as she completed the teas.

"Just after ten, Montgomery took me for something to eat" Kate explained, the redhead nodding as she walked over and wrapped her arms around Kate. "I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have acted like that. I was just hormonal and angry" Kate whispered into her red hair before pressing a kiss onto her head and sighing. "I love you Alexis; don't ever doubt that and I would never just leave you. You'll always be part of my life, of Chris' life no matter what happens".

"I'm not angry at you Kate" Alexis whispered, staring up at her slowly. "I'm angry at Meredith" she finally admitted, moving away from Kate slowly as the brunette sighed. Taking the teas in her hands, the detective sighed before kissing her head lightly. "I'm angry at my mom Kate" she sobbed, tears running down her cheeks.

"Why don't you go to your room? I'll bring your tea up in a minute" Kate whispered, Alexis nodding as she disappeared upstairs; Kate sighing as she took hold of the mugs of tea and sighed. Walking up the stairs, she slowly entered the teenager's bedroom to see Alexis lying on one side of the bed; tears running down her cheeks as Kate smiled weakly and sat on the edge of the bed. Putting the mugs on the side, she stared at the book that Alexis was continuing to hold. "What's that?" Kate asked, Alexis sighing as she passed it over.

"They're photos from when I was a baby; dad doesn't have this album out very often and neither do I" the redhead admitted, Kate staring at her in confusion before taking the album from her and opening it to see Meredith. That was when she realised. Rick didn't look at these because they were of Meredith and Alexis didn't look at them often either. "It just hurt Kate" Alexis admitted, taking one of the teas from the side. "It made me think that maybe the only reason she comes to see me is because she wants to have sex with dad".

"Alexis she comes to see you too" Kate smiled, reaching across to hold Alexis' hand. "She loves you, she just has a really weird way of showing it" the brunette sighed, moving up to wrap an arm around the teenager. "She does love you and you have so many other people who love you. Your gram, me and especially your dad; he would do anything for you" Kate smiled, the redhead nodding as she ran a finger down the picture of Meredith and Rick holding her as a new born. "This is the past honey; you can't change it but you can learn from it" she explained. "You can learn not to make the same mistakes and you can learn never to leave someone like your mom did".

"Thanks Kate" Alexis whispered, cuddling up to the detective as she took a sip of the tea and placed it back on the side. "I love you Kate, don't ever leave us again" she muttered into Kate's shirt; the detective sighing as she felt Alexis' hand rest on her bump. "Chris is going to be so lucky" Kate admitted. "He's got the most amazing mom and dad is going to love him so much and well I'm never going to leave him; I'm going to be the best sister Kate I promise" she muttered.

"I know you are Alexis" Kate mumbled, watching as the teenager began to fall asleep.

XOOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Running up the stairs, Rick looked around for the detective; the silence of the apartment scaring him. Had she left him? Had she realised that she couldn't live with what he'd done? What Meredith had done to them? Stopping outside Alexis' room, he sighed as he slowly pushed the already open door wider and saw Alexis and Kate fast asleep on the redhead's bed. Kate's arms were wrapped tightly around the redhead as they slept peacefully. Hearing a small groan, he watched Kate's eyes open slowly before she smiled weakly at him.

"Hello" Kate whispered, kissing him gently before sighing. "She was up at two am, I didn't want to disturb her once she fell asleep" the detective explained, Rick nodding as he sat on the edge of the bed and watched his daughter for a moment. "She was upset over Meredith and everything that happened yesterday but she should be okay" Kate muttered, running her fingers through Alexis' hair as the teenager groaned and began to move.

"Thank you for being there for her Kate" Rick whispered, the detective shrugging as Alexis' eyes opened. "Lexi?" Rick asked, the teenager looking at her dad before smiling weakly.

"Hey daddy" Alexis whispered, moving out of Kate's arms to wrap her own around her father. "I love you daddy, I'm sorry for yesterday" she admitted, the writer beaming as he held his daughter close to him and relaxed.

"Don't apologise for my mistakes" Rick smiled, kissing his daughter's forehead before sighing. "Why don't I treat you both and take you out for the day?" Rick asked, Alexis' head shaking.

"Can we just stay in dad? I don't want to share you with the world today" the redhead smiled, Kate nodding quickly as Rick sighed and slowly nodded as well, smiling at his daughter's idea.

**Okay, so not much happens in this chapter but someone mentioned a Kate/ Alexis talk to I decided to dedicate a whole chapter to it. What do you think? Do you like it or dislike it? Please review, it only takes a minute and I do love everything you tell me. **

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	42. Chapter 42

**I know it's a short chapter but I wanted to do this one and well, it seemed like the ideal place. Please review because I love hearing from you and well, thank you once again for every wonderful review, alert and favourite this receives. **

"That's a horrible colour" Kate moaned, watching as the writer painted some more of the yellow onto the walls. "Rick I don't like it anymore, it's too yellow. Maybe we should go with blue instead, be more traditional" she admitted, hearing the writer groan before he put the paintbrush down and turned to look at her; frustration covering his face. Approaching her, he quickly wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers; groaning as she laughed gently. "Sorry Rick but I really don't like it and you did say you'd do it however I wanted".

"I'm beginning to wish that I didn't now Mrs Castle" Rick sighed before moving away and approaching the door. "I'm going to go and get some blue paint, don't moan about the colour just agree with it. It's going to be blue and it's going to be the colour of our sons nursery" he explained, Kate nodding slowly as she continued to smile; her hands resting on her bump. She was dressed in a pair of leggings and one of his old shirts that fitted perfectly around her bump. He loved seeing her like this; she was relaxed and happy with her dark hair tied back and some spots of pain decorating her cheeks.

"I'll order pizza for when you get back" she smiled, laughing as a smile covered his face before he kissed her gently. "Don't be too long, we said that we'd get most of this done today and its midday now Rick. We haven't even started painting properly" she explained, knowing that she was about to start him off again on how it was her fault again.

"And whose fault is that detective? I was happy with the last five paints we've tried but you don't like them. You're a nightmare sometimes Katherine Castle so you're lucky that I love you as much as I do" he smiled, Kate shrugging at his comments before he moved away and disappeared to go and buy another colour. Approaching the bedroom window, she sighed as she looked out across the city and ran her hand to her bump; looking down at it quickly.

"This is going to be your room soon baby and this is going to be the view that we'll always look out of. Daddy and I are so excited about you coming, we can't wait to hold you in our arms and love you forever" Kate sighed, running her hand under the shirt and across the bare skin. "We love you so much already and you're not even here yet" she admitted, laughing to herself over the fact she was talking to her baby again. She'd originally been embarrassed about the idea when Rick had caught her doing it the first time but now she loved it and often talked to her son when she was alone. "I can't wait to meet you Christopher" she sighed, staring out of the window again to see rain pouring down. "Although daddy's going to be angry at me when he gets home, it's pouring with rain and I've made him go outside" she laughed, reaching across to find her phone as she found the saved number of the local pizza place.

Hearing the door open twenty minutes later, Kate sighed as the door opened and Rick reappeared; holding a can of paint in one hand and the pizzas balancing on top of another. He was drenched and Kate had to bite into her lip to stop herself from laughing about the state of him. Putting the objects he was carrying down, Rick sighed as he removed his jacket and groaned; shaking his head to splash water everywhere and especially onto his wife.

"That's not fair" she moaned, Rick shrugging before he disappeared once again to change. Opening one of the pizza boxes he'd brought into the small room, Kate sighed at the smell of food before the door opened again and Rick reappeared with a new shirt on and the same jeans, that were damp but not as soaked as the rest of him had been. "I was telling Chris about how you were going to be angry about the rain" she admitted, Rick's face softening as he thought about the times he'd found Kate talking to their son. He loved those special moments where all Kate's walls were down and she was just enjoying her pregnancy. "I was also telling him earlier about how much we love him and how we can't wait to hold him in our arms".

"I hate it when you do this, I can't be angry at you when you say things like that" he moaned, kissing her forehead lightly before reaching across to take a slice of the pizza. "Now I hope you like this blue" he muttered between bites, Kate nodding as she rested against one of the walls and watched as the writer opened the can and slowly painted a line of the colour onto the wall. "Please tell me you like this because it's the colour we're having".

"I love it, it's perfect" Kate smiled, approaching him quickly to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'm sorry I'm being difficult, I just want it to be perfect for our son. I mean he does deserve the best and I don't want to get this wrong" she admitted, looking down to find their hands resting on the bump they both adored.

"You won't get it wrong Katie" he sighed, kissing her lightly before keeping her close. "You're going to be an amazing mom. Look at what you did with Alexis, you stayed up with her and made her feel better. You make her a tea before she goes to school in the morning and she tells you everything that she doesn't tell me. Kate you're going to be an amazing mom because you're already more of a mother to Alexis than Meredith or Gina ever were to her and Meredith is her biological mom" he explained, resting his hands on her shoulder. "Don't ever doubt how amazing a mom you're going to be" he sighed.

"But I've never been around young children properly Rick and I have no idea about breast feeding and diapers" she admitted, the writer laughing as he leaned down and kissed her. "I'm going to be a rubbish mom to Chris" she sobbed, shocking them both about where this had come from.

"Do you know when I knew you were going to be an amazing mom?" he asked, Kate's head shaking as his fingers ran across her cheeks. "The case with Will, the little girl" he smiled. "Remember when we found her and you just lifted her into your arms and held her close; telling her that you were going to take her home and everything was okay" Rick smiled, Kate sighing as she stared at her bump. "The way you protected her and just held her, not caring about anything else. I knew then Katherine Castle that you were going to be an amazing mom and we all know that you're going to be a fantastic mother to Chris. We're lucky to have you".

"Thank you Rick" she whispered, kissing him lightly before staring down at the paint. "We better start painting" she admitted, the writer nodding as he kept her close; knowing that the discussion they'd just had had been coming for a long time.


	43. Chapter 43

"Gina, don't you know what no means. I'm not going and that's final" he announced down the phone, unaware of the brunette who was listening outside the door; worry covering her face as she held the two teas in her hands. She'd never heard Rick so angry before and it worried him. It worried him that Gina was doing something to annoy him. Something that she had clearly been doing for a while and he had told her the same answer for. "Bloody woman" he moaned; the detective sighing as she decided this was the time to go inside. Pushing the door open, she stared at her husband who was leaning back in his chair; his hands running across his face as he groaned.

"Tea" she smiled, the writer looking across at her before nodding. Approaching Rick, she placed the two teas on the table before sighing and resting against the table, her hand resting on the large bump. "Want to talk about Gina?" she asked, his head shaking quickly before she sighed and ran her hands to his cheeks. Sitting Kate on his lap, he held her close for a moment before pressing a kiss into her hair; the smell of cherries comforting him. "Tell me, I could make it better. Do you want me to call Esposito and Ryan? Ask them to arrest her for something and leave her in a cell?" she suggested, Rick laughing before burying his head against her shoulder. "I'm going to call them if you don't tell me; they can arrest you too for wasting police time".

"She wants me to go on tour" he admitted, confusion covering Kate's face as she stared at him. "Just after Christopher's due, she wants me to go on a two month tour and I keep telling him no but he never listens to me. She keeps telling me how it will be good for the books and it's annoying me, all she does is think about it'll be good promotion for the book but she doesn't understand that we're going to have a newborn baby" he admitted, running his hand over her stomach continually. "And you're going to need me and I'm going to be here, I'm not going to leave you for two months when you've just given birth to our son and you need me to help with late night crying and getting the shopping in and helping you with everything" he sighed, kissing her lightly as she smiled weakly.

"Thank you baby" she whispered gently, kissing him again before moving away and staring at him. "How about I treat you to a dinner at Remy's? We could meet up with everyone there, have an evening out with the guys because we haven't in a while" she admitted, kissing him lightly as he nodded and took her phone out of her pocket and sent a quick text to the detectives and ME.

XOXOXOXOXOOX

"So have you guys had any cool murders recently?" Rick asked as he watched Kate cover her burger in ketchup, amusement covering everyone's faces as they watched her. "Come on tell me, it's weird not having a murder filled day anymore. I miss the gory details" he smiled, everyone laughing gently at his comment. "It's weird being up before someone as well, waking her up in the morning is a scary job" he added, earning a glare from the detective who had ketchup covering her face. "Umm Kate, you've got" he whispered, pointing at his face as confusion covered the detective's face.

"You've got ketchup covering your face" Lanie laughed, smirks covering the detective's face as Kate reached across for a napkin. "We haven't had any really interesting cases really, they've all become simple since Beckett left" she admitted, the two men nodding before Kate sighed. "Only really difficult murders seem to happen when Kate's around we've decided" the ME commented, Kate laughing as she moved closer to her husband and started to steal some of his fries. Hearing Esposito's phone ring, they all looked up at his phone to see disappointment covering his face before he answered. Putting the phone down a few moments later, he sighed before staring across at Kate with a small smile covering his face.

"We've got a case and well Beckett, we could really use you on this one" Esposito sighed, standing up along with Ryan and Lanie who were all pulling their jackets on. "There's a little girl, she won't get out of the cupboard and well, you're going to be a mom do you want to try and get a three year old out of a cupboard?" he sighed, Kate shrugging as she stood up and stared at her husband.

"Be careful" he whispered, Kate nodding as she pressed a kiss to his cheek and nodded; moving away to join the two detectives and ME who were waiting. "And be home in time for dinner, Alexis is cooking tonight and she won't forgive you if you don't try this new recipe she's found. She's been spending weeks on it to make sure it's perfect for tonight" he called over, smiling as she bit into her lip and nodded; both of them trying to ignore the fact that Ryan and Esposito were smirking at them from behind Kate.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Entering the main bedroom of the small apartment, Kate stared at the large amount of blood that covered the floor around the body of a young woman. Staring at the wardrobe where a male officer was already kneeling down, Kate sighed as she walked towards them and sighed; the officer moving away with a small nod before she knocked on the wardrobe door and waited for a response.

"Go away, want mommy" a small voice announced from within the cupboard, Kate smiling as she slowly opened the door. "Mommy" the small girl began to cry as Kate opened the door slightly, hiding the image of the girl's dead mother from her before she looked in to see the girl buried into the corner of the small cupboard.

"Hi, my names Katie" Kate smiled staring at the small girl who was looking at her. "What's your name? I bet it's something really pretty, maybe something to do with flowers because I'm guessing that you like flowers from your beautiful necklace" she asked quickly as she looked at the flower necklace and t-shirt the girl was wearing, hoping that talking to the girl would take her thoughts away from her mother for a moment.

"Rosie" she whispered, Kate smiling as she held her hand out towards the small girl. "Mommy?" she asked, Kate's head shaking as she looked across to see the girls' mother now covered with a sheet and Ryan and Esposito staring at her nervously. "Want mommy" she admitted, Kate sighed as she held the small girls hand in hers and moved her slowly forward. Standing, Kate watched the small girl for a moment before staring at the child within the cupboard.

"Rosie, we're going to have to leave now because some people want to come and look around your mom's room and we can't be here for that" Kate explained, knowing not to lie to the child who was already upset. "Look Rosie, we need to get out of here and then your grandparents are going to come and get you" Kate explained, Rosie nodding as she slowly moved towards the detective and looked across the room. "Cover your eyes Rosie, we're going somewhere secret" she whispered, the small girl nodding as she did what Kate said and allowed her to lead her out of the room. Walking outside, Kate smiled as the small girl stood perfectly still beside her and Kate found herself looking into the eyes of her husband. "Rosie I want you to meet someone special" the brunette explained as Rosie opened her eyes and looked up at the man beside Kate. "Rosie this is my husband Rick".

"He's baby's daddy?" the small girl asked as Kate nodded, watching as Rosie looked at Kat's stomach and then up at the writer. "Hello" she smiled up at Rick, waving at him as Kate smiled and watched the writer knelt down in front of her. "My daddy bad, he hurt mommy" the small girl explained, tears running down her cheeks as Rick ran his thumb across the small tears and wiped them away.

"Now, weren't we going to go somewhere special?" Kate asked, desperately trying to cheer the small girl up. "And if we're lucky Rick might go and get us something to eat while we're at that special place" Kate smiled, the small girl beaming as Rick sighed and held onto Rosie's hand, Kate doing the same with the other hand.

XOXOOXOXO 

"I bought milkshake" he smiled, entering the break room to see Kate on the couch beside the small girl who was drawing; a small smile covering the detective's face as she looked up to see the man holding two chocolate milkshakes. "Two chocolate milkshakes because I know how much girls loves chocolate" the writer smiled, putting them both down on the table and sighing as the small girl thanked Rick quickly and took a sip of the drink; smiling across at the two adults. "How are you doing?" he asked Kate, pressing a kiss to the detective's cheek.

"Great, we're drawing pictures at the moment" Kate sighed, looking across to see the murder board appearing with pictures of Rosie's dead mother and a picture of her missing father. "Can you shut the blinds? I don't want her to see that" she whispered onto Rick's lips, the writer nodding as he stood up and went to shut the blinds that showed the murder board. "Her grandfather has caught a flight, he should be here soon" she admitted, running her fingers through Rosie's blonde hair as the small girl continued to drink her milkshake.

"That's good, that she has someone coming for her" Rick sighed, kneeling down beside the couch to look at the pictures that Rosie had drawn. It reminded him of what Alexis used to do when she was little. Butterflies and stick people families. "There's nothing you could have done Katie and she seems pretty happy, I don't think she saw anything" he smiled, Kate nodding as she shut her eyes slowly and rested her hand on her bump. "Are you okay?" he asked quickly, the detective nodding as she sighed and kissed him gently.

"Just tired, I didn't plan of coming in today until this hour" she admitted before looking at the child beside her. "Are you tired Rosie?" she asked, the child nodding as she turned to look at Kate. "Come here you, come and get some sleep" she sighed, bringing the small girl close to her. Resting her head against Kate's lap, the small girl's eyes slowly shut while the detective placed her jacket over the half asleep child.

"You're going to be an amazing mom" Rick sighed as the detective shrugged and just ran her hand up and down the small girls arm. Just hoping for the girl's child "You're going to be an amazing mom" Rick sighed as the detective shrugged and just ran her hand up and down the small girls arm. Just hoping for the girl's grandfather to arrive soon to take the small girl home so she was far away from everything.

Feeling someone shake her shoulder, what felt like a few moments later, she opened her eyes to find Rick smiling at her; explaining that she'd been asleep for around two hours and that Rosie's grandfather Peter had come to collect her. Looking down, Kate smiled at the small girl who was still fast asleep and she couldn't help but sigh when an older man entered the apartment.

"I'm so sorry Mr Woods" Kate whispered, nudging the child quickly to hear a small groan a few moments later. "I'm so sorry for your loss" she announced, smiling when Rosie stood up and ran over to her elderly grandfather. The man looked exhausted and stressed but Kate couldn't help but smile when the man held his granddaughter close to him and just smiled at her.

"It's Peter and thank you for taking care of my granddaughter; Rosie's mom would just be happy that this one's okay" the older man admitted, Kate nodding as she sighed and stood up; her hand running to her stomach as she groaned slightly. "Do either of you know a good hotel around here? We're going to stay in New York until the case is solved" he explained as Rick smiled and nodded before pulling his phone out. Watching Rick disappear out of the room, Kate laughed as the older man stared at her in confusion.

"Rick's booking you a hotel room, he can get you a room anywhere and he adores your granddaughter so he's probably finding you a brilliant one right now" she explained, confusion covering his face even more. "He's a novelist".

"Ah, I thought the name was familiar, Richard Castle. Sarah's mom used to read his book and so did Sarah" he admitted, Kate nodding as Rosie hugged her quickly. "You seem to have made quite an impression on my granddaughter" he sighed, watching as Rosie's arms remained wrapped around Kate's legs.

"Well she's a beautiful little girl, you should be so proud of her. I've never met a child with such a strong character before" Kate sighed as the writer entered the room again and explained where he'd booked them reservations; offering them a lift on the way home. "Please accept, it's the least we could do especially in the situation" the brunette explained, the older man shrugging before nodding and collecting his granddaughter's belongings.

Standing outside the hotel ten minutes later, Kate smiled as she hugged the small girl and laughed as the child passed her a picture. Opening it, the brunette stared at the image of a butterfly that she'd seen Rosie drawing earlier.

"Thank you Rosie, it's beautiful. I'm going to put it on the fridge when I get home" she explained as she held the picture within her hands and smiled at the child who'd been so shy earlier that day. "You're tired aren't you?" she whispered, the blonde nodding as Kate smiled and held onto her hand. "Rick and I better leave you and your grandfather alone so you can get some sleep, it's been such a big day for you" she whispered, looking back to see Rick and Peter talking to each other with smiles on their faces. Standing, Kate watched as the two men approached her and Peter took hold of his granddaughter's hand and smiled across at Kate.

"Bye bye Katie" the blonde whispered as Kate smiled.

"Bye bye Rosie, it was lovely meeting you and thank you for my picture, it's going on the fridge the moment I get home" Kate sighed as the family approached the door of the hotel, Rick's arms wrapping around her as she watched them disappear within the apartment. "I'm glad she's got him, he seems like a nice guy" she admitted.

"He thinks you're going to be an amazing mommy, he says you remind him of his daughter when she was pregnant with Rosie" Rick smiled, Kate beaming as she looked up at him and kissed him gently while their hands rested on her stomach. "She's going to be fine Katie, he's going to take her back home with him and he's going to look after her. He told me that he has a lot of friends who are going to help him and his step daughter from his second marriage live near him with her children" he explained as the detective nodded and approached the car. "It'll be good for Rosie, apparently her dad's been keeping her away from the family and he's not surprised that he killed Sarah; he knew that they had a lot of problems and that's not an excuse but Rosie's going to be around family and friends and people who love her".

"But she's not going to have her mom and dad is she? God Rick why are we bringing a baby into this sort of a world? Rosie's dad killed her mom and now he's on the run, for all we know he could come after Rosie" she admitted, tears running down her face as she held him close for a moment.

"Katie, they had a messed up marriage. Peter explained to us that everything about their marriage was wrong and he knew something was going to happen one day but Sarah didn't want his help" Rick explained, holding her close again before kissing her. "Our baby is going to be loved and is going to have the protection of the whole precinct, nothing is going to happen to Chris or Alexis" he sighed, resting his chin on top of her head as she continued to sob. "God your hormones are bad sometimes" he sighed as she laughed.

"I know, god I hate them" she sighed, the writer nodding as he led her towards the car and slipped into the vehicle with her. "I'm never going to let anyone hurt you baby, no one is ever going to hurt you Chris" she whispered to her stomach, Rick smiling to himself as she listened to his wife talk to their son.

**So what do you think? I have no idea where this came from or why I put it into the story but yeah, I wrote it for some reason and I hope you enjoyed it. Please review because it does make my day and it does make me write faster, even though it doesn't seem like it at the moment. **


	44. Chapter 44

**Pathetically short chapter but I felt like we needed to get a move on and well, I wanted to get on with the plot. Anyway please review and I promise that I'll have a new chapter up soon; hopefully before Christmas. **

**Note: Kate's nine months pregnant. (I haven't made that very clear through this story)**

"Rick" Kate sighed as she slowly walked into the kitchen while her husband continued to chop up vegetables for their dinner. "Rick I miss my feet, I want to see them again" she blurted out, the writer laughing at her comment as he turned to face her and pressed his hands to her cheeks. "Rick, are they still there? They haven't run off have they?" she asked quickly, his head shaking as he pressed a kiss to her forehead and slowly moved to take his phone out of his pocket. Taking a quick photo of her feet, he turned the phone to show her; amusement covering her face as she laughed and ran her hands to the large bump that was destroying her view. "It's nice to know that I still have feet" she sighed.

"Katie you still have feet, don't worry" he smiled, kissing her gently as her fingers ran through his hair and sighed. "How are you feeling? Not too exhausted are you?" he asked quickly, her head shaking as she took his hands and ran them across her stomach; the two of them laughing at the feeling of their son kicking. "I can't wait to have him in our arms. I'm actually excited about the late nights of feeding and changes. I can't wait for it" he smiled, Kate nodding as she giggled. Kneeling down, Rick slowly raised her shirt before pressing a kiss to her stomach and resting his forehead against it gently, Kate's fingers running through his hair for a moment. "Are you excited?"

"Of course, Rick I've been carrying our son for nine months now. I can't wait to have him in our arms although if he's anything like you he'll want my attention all the time" she smiled, Rick beaming at her as he stood up and touched her cheek gently.

"Well who wouldn't want your attention all the time? You're amazing and well, I think everyone loves you after one moment with you. Our son is never going to want to leave you if he's anything like me" he declared, kissing her gently as she laughed and smiled at him; her arms wrapping around his neck slowly. "So Mrs Castle, why don't you go and sit down on the couch and I'll bring your dinner over in a minute?" he asked; her head shaking before she sighed and felt his hands on her stomach.

"I'm fed up of sitting around and when I walk I worry about where my feet are" she sighed, the writer laughing before he kissed her gently. "I don't like not being able to see my feet, it's annoying" she explained, Rick smiling as he finished making their dinner and slowly began to plate everything up. "Rick, Chris is going to be the best thing that's happened to us" she admitted, his eyebrows rising as she sighed and stared down at the bump. "He brought us together, he's the true reason that we stopped just sleeping together and finally became a couple and being with you is the best thing that could have ever happened to me" she admitted, his smile growing as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Right dinner Mrs Castle" he announced, the detective nodding as she began to walk towards the couch; groaning as she slowly pressed her hand to her bump. "Katie?" he asked quickly, putting the plates down as he walked over to her. "Talk to me" he announced, her eyes locking on his as she groaned and ran her hand across her stomach again.

"He's kicking stronger than normal, it hurts a lot more" she admitted, the writer nodding as he reached across for his car keys. "Rick? What's going on? Why do I feel like I'm supposed to know something right now?" she asked, Rick smiling as he touched her cheek and kept her close.

"Kate, I think you're having contractions" he explained, shock covering her face as she allowed him to move her towards the door; a small groan leaving her lips again as she kept her hands pressed against the bump. "Keep breathing through them and we'll get you to the hospital, you can Lanie and your dad on route" he announced, the brunette nodding as she remained close to him and watched him hit the button for the lift. "We're going to have a baby" he smiled, Kate nodding as she felt the shock hit her. She was in labour.

"Shit, I'm having a baby".


	45. Chapter 45

**I'm rubbish at writing labour scenes so I decided to avoid it because of the fact that I didn't want to risk writing something that would potentially be rubbish and would destroy the story so I decided to start this off from afterwards. I hope you enjoy this and please review because I love hearing from you about everything you have to say. **

She couldn't take her eyes of him. Twelve hours of labour and a husband who now had ice around his hand and he was here. Her son! Leaning down, she slowly brushed her lips against Chris' forehead; smiling at how he slept through the action and just remained completely still in her arms. Hearing a small click, she turned to see the writer holding a camera and smiling at her; pride covering his face as she slowly mouthed "I love you" at him.

"I love you too" he whispered, leaning forwards to press a small kiss against her forehead before he moved to sit on the edge of the small hospital bed. "They need to make hospital beds bigger" he moaned, a small laughing leaving her lips in response as she turned her head to look at him.

"Well they're not made for cuddling Rick, it's only supposed to be one person in a bed" she smiled, the writer shrugging before he properly kissed her and sighed. "Have you called everyone?" she asked quickly, her answer coming in the form of a knock at the door which slowly opened to reveal the two redheads and Kate's father; all who looked slightly nervous but excited as well. "Guys, I've got someone who wants to meet you" she smiled, their family moving forward slightly as she moved slightly to reveal Chris to them.

"Congratulations Katie, Rick he's perfect" Jim smiled as he moved forward and Kate allowed him to take her son into his arms. Watching as Chris was passed to Martha and then to Alexis, Kate smiled as she slowly rested back against her husband and sighed. Exhaustion was starting to take over her system and she didn't want it too. She wanted to stay awake and spend more time with her family and her son.

"Sleep" Rick whispered in her ear, knowing she was fighting it. "You won't get many opportunities for a while because he'll start screaming; take the chance now" he admitted, the brunette smiling as she focused on her son who was in Alexis' arms at the moment while the teenager whispered things to him about herself and all the things he needed to know about their family.

"Our dad's cool, he writes novels but you won't be allowed to read them for a long time. He's a lot of fun as well because he's never grown up, you'll be more mature than him before you're my age, I promise" Alexis smiled as Kate laughed and Rick just rolled his eyes at his daughter; his arms remaining around the half asleep detective. "Your mom's cool as well, she catches bad guys who hurt people and she's the only person who can make dad do something" Alexis smiled, looking up to see Kate cuddled up against Rick practically asleep. "You're so lucky Chris, you've got a massive family and we all love you already" the redhead sighed before pressing a kiss to her brother's forehead before looking up; this time to find Kate fast asleep against the writer who was slowly attempting to move off the bed. "Twelve hours?" Alexis asked.

"Don't worry pumpkin, you still hold the record in this family" he laughed as confusion covered her face. "Sixteen hours, you just didn't want to come out at all" he smirked as Alexis groaned and passed her brother back to her father who smiled and slowly began to move towards the small cot that was prepared for the newborn.

"Actually Richard you were eighteen hours, I knew you were going to be a pain from that moment" Martha smiled as Rick glared at her before smirking; all of them looking at Jim who was staring at his daughter with pride covering his face completely. "How long was Johanna in labour?" Martha asked gently as the older man smiled and laughed at the memory.

"Twenty hours, Kate was as stubborn then as she is now" he laughed causing everyone to smile as the woman turned in the bed and groaned lightly while still remaining fast asleep. "We knew we had a stubborn little girl from that moment on, Kate was always determined" he smiled, Rick slowly sitting down as he stared at the older man. He didn't hear stories of Kate's childhood very often as the memory of her mother still upset her. "When she was three she was terrified of the dark but she still wouldn't sleep with any type of light on. She wasn't going to be afraid of the dark" he laughed, approaching his daughter slowly before smiling. "When she learnt to tie laces was hysterical, she refused to let Johanna help her at all. She sat on the floor for ages attempting to do it and in the end she ended up tying one of the laces around her finger and pulling it too tight" he laughed, everyone smiling at the story before the older man sighed.

"Thanks Jim" Rick sighed, confusing the older man slightly. "She doesn't talk about her childhood very often, I still want to know about it though" Rick explained as Jim nodded and quickly leant down to press a kiss to his daughter's forehead. "Are you going?" he asked.

"There are other people outside who want to see my grandson" Jim admitted as the voices of Lanie and Esposito arguing outside began to fill the room. "I'll come and visit later" he promised, Rick nodding as the older man left; quickly followed by Martha and Alexis.

"You can come in now" Rick called out, not surprised when Lanie quickly walked in followed by the two men. "Sorry Kate fell asleep a few minutes ago" he explained, everyone nodding before the writer lifted his son up and sighed as Lanie squealed; surprising Esposito who glared at her before shaking the writers hand and congratulating him.

"He's perfect Castle" Lanie smiled, the writer shrugging as he heard another groan and turned to see Kate blinking; her hands running to her stomach before she stared at him. "Congratulations Kate" Lanie laughed, the brunette sitting up quickly to see her son in the ME's arms. "Here" Lanie sighed before passing Chris to the nervous detective who held him close for a moment; not wanting to let him go.

"So what were you two arguing about in the corridor?" Rick asked as he looked from Esposito to Lanie; the two of them standing as far away from each other as possible. "I'm not joking when I say you were loud; I'm amazed you didn't wake Kate up actually" he smiled, Kate's eyebrows rising as she looked at her two friends while rocking her son in her arms. Hearing a small cry, Kate slowly looked down at her son before sighing and bringing him close to her.

"What's wrong baby?" she asked, looking up at Rick who was biting into his lip. "Are you hungry?" she asked, staring down at her son unaware of the fact that the detectives and ME had slipped out to get a coffee. "Be patient with me Chris, I've not done this before okay?" she smiled before slowly moving her outfit and bringing her baby close. "Am I doing this right?" she asked Rick quickly before she felt Chris' lips move as he began to feed.

"You're doing it perfectly" he sighed, the detective smiling weakly as she just watched her son in amazement. "How are you feeling?" he asked, her eyes locking on his as she sighed and bit into her lip for a moment.

"I'm feeling like I've got everything I've ever wanted right here" she smiled, the writer laughing as she sighed. "I've got a baby who is healthy and completely perfect and I've got the husband of my dreams who I'm completely crazy about. I've gained a family with Alexis and Martha who are the most loving and funny people I've ever met and my dad is becoming a bigger part of my life. Everything's perfect" she admitted, sighing when Chris moved away and Rick took him into his arms as she began to sort herself out. "How are you feeling?" she asked, leaning back to watch her husband with their son.

"Complete" he sighed, her smile growing at his simple answer.

**So what do you think? **


	46. Chapter 46

Stepping out of the en-suite, Rick sighed as he stared at the sight in front of him. It was their first night at home and after a long heated shower, Rick couldn't help but love the sight of his wife in front of him; lying across the bed with their son in the middle, her fingers tickling his chest as the small boy stared up at her and gurgled loudly. She looked perfect; dressed in one of his shirts that reached mid-thigh while her hair was loosely tied back with strands falling out and hanging over her face.

"Stop staring at me Castle" she laughed, turning her head to stare at her husband before she lay across the bed on her side; her head resting beside their son who was lying on his blanket perfectly still. "What are you doing now?" she asked, observing her husband hold his phone up before he quickly took a photo and put the phone down on the bed; dropping his towel before he went in search of some clothing. "Jesus Rick, innocent eyes in here. Do you want to scar your son for life?" she asked.

"Of course not, I just don't want to have a wet towel around me" he smiled, her eyes rolling before she watched him dress himself in a pair of boxers and join them on the bed. "I see that your eyes aren't too innocent Mrs Castle, watching me dress. Cheeky!" he laughed, joining her on the bed quickly as she giggled gently beside their son. "You're so perfect" he sighed, her eyes rolling as Chris began to scream and she sighed before sitting up and bringing him into her arms. "Both of you are" he admitted, running his hand to his sons head as the small boy continued to cry; Kate sighing as she began to unbutton her shirt. Hearing a tap at the door, Rick groaned as he looked away from his wife and stood up quickly.

"Dad, Gina's here to see you and she won't take no for an answer" Alexis called out from the other side, the writer groaning before he heard his daughter's footsteps quieten; his head turning to look at his wife.

"Go, I'll come downstairs in a minute with Chris" she smiled, leaning back against the bedframe as their son remained against her breast. Nodding, the writer quickly grabbed his dressing gown and pulled it over his body before leaving the room; the sound of Gina laughing downstairs making him groan again. He didn't want to have to talk to her on the evening he'd brought his wife and newborn son home from the hospital. It was a time for family and Gina wasn't family whether she'd been married to him or not!

"It's nice to see you Gina" he smiled as he walked down the stairs to find the blonde sat on the couch with his mother who quickly stood and disappeared up the stairs. "What are you doing here? Tonight's a rather important night for the family" he admitted, hoping she'd get the hint and suggest having this meeting at a later date. However, she didn't and instead rested further back into the couch while holding the wine glass.

"Where's the wife?" the blonde asked, her eyebrows rising as the writer smiled.

"Upstairs" he muttered as the blonde nodded and smiled at the writer before standing.

"You've been offered another tour, it's shorter only two weeks but you leave next week. It would be really good publicity Rick so I would suggest attending" Gina smiled, his head immediately shaking at her suggestion.

"I'm sorry Gina but I can't go" he announced, hearing the floorboard creak before she sighed and crossed her arms.

"Rick this is your career we're talking about" the blonde hissed, shocked that he was turning down another tour! "You can't hide here or in the precinct forever, you need to be out there otherwise you're books won't sell" she hissed. "You need to start being Richard Castle, playboy again rather than playing house with your detective. You need to be out there signing breasts and flirting because otherwise, you're books aren't going to do well".

"I'm not going anywhere Gina! I'm sorry but I can do appearances during the day soon but for the next few months at least I won't be doing any tours or major public appearances" he smiled, the footsteps becoming clearer as he turned to find Kate now standing behind him with Chris pressed against her chest. "Honey come and introduce Chris to Gina, she's so excited to see who we're playing house with" the writer smiled before glaring at the blonde who was staring at the child in the brunette's arms.

"So you've had the baby then?" Gina sighed, clearly showing her dislike for not just the brunette but for the newborn in the detective's arms.

"Gina" Rick hissed, knowing what that tone of voice meant. He'd lived with the blonde for a long time and had known her for longer and the look that was covering her face was something he'd seen a lot during their marriage.

"Clearly Gina" Kate muttered, not wanting to be in the company of the blonde for any longer than she needed. "Rick, I'm about to put him down for the night. I thought you might want to be there especially seeing that it's his first night home" she smiled, looking at her husband who was beaming at the small child in her arms. Taking Chris into his own arms, Rick smiled as his son buried against his chest. "I guess you can see yourself out Gina, we've got to go. We have more important things to do than deal with a tour my husband has completely disagreed to do" the detective smiled before approaching the stairs with her husband; the writer smirking at her as he heard Gina move away and the door slam a few moments later.

"That was hot Kate" he smiled, Kate's eyes rolling as they entered the nursery and she quickly switched the light on. "Come on little Castle, bed time" the writer whispered to his son before he rested him in the small cot and sat down the rocking chair beside it; Kate quickly kneeling beside the cot as she watched the small boy. Hearing Kate sing, the writer quickly leant forward in amazement at how beautiful her voice was. She'd mentioned earlier during their odd relationship that she could sing and she'd teased him about how maybe one day he'd hear her and here she was. Singing to their newborn son! "You said maybe one day I could hear you sing" he smiled; the brunette nodding as she kept her focus on the sleeping baby in front of her. "I never imagined it would be when you sang to our child".

"Did you ever imagine us here when you first met me in that strip club?" she asked, his head immediately shaking before he laughed; the detective quickly moving to sit on his lap.

"It's a bit hard to imagine having a child with someone when they're apparently stripping their clothes off for a living and then straddling you for sex later on wherever the possibility arose" he admitted, both of them laughing at the description of their earlier relationship. "I mean come on; we did it everywhere back there".

"Shut up" she smirked.

"In the dressing room, in the car" he listed, the detective standing quickly as she smiled.

"Shut up Rick" she laughed.

"On the bed, on the kitchen table" he continued, standing up to follow her.

"Oh my god shut up" she squealed, remembering when they'd first started a sexual relationship like it was yesterday.

"On the floor, on the couch" he smiled, following her out of the bedroom as she approached their room.

"You'd shut up if you know what's good for you" she warned, his eyebrows rising as she walked backwards towards the bed and stopped at the end of it.

"Really? Well, there was also up against the book case and all over the kitchen and my all-time favourite" he smiled, moving closer to her so their bodies were as close as possible as she stood up at the end of the bed.

"Yes" she smiled onto his lips, her eyes staring into his.

"Up against the window, now that was really hot detective" he smiled before kissing her lightly; her arms wrapping around him as she kept him close. "God I wish we could" he muttered onto her lips, her head nodding as she groaned and remained close to him.

"It'll be even better if we wait" she smiled, the writer shrugging before he nodded and kissed her again. "Now we better get some sleep before someone wants another feed or a change" she explained, the writer groaning as he moved towards his side of the bed and pulled the blanket back; the detective jumping quickly into their bed. "God I've missed our bed, hospital beds are not comfy".

"Especially not when you want to cuddle your wife" he smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she giggled. "Love you Mrs Castle".

"Love you more" she giggled before resting her head against his chest and remaining still; not wanting anything to change.

**So what do you think? A bit odd I know but I needed something happier after updating What Happens in New York where it's all depressing. Anyway please review because I'd love to know what you think! **


	47. Chapter 47

**I'm a terrible person I know, I haven't updated in ages and I apologise. We only have one laptop which belongs to my brother so I very rarely get the chance to update properly and work has been a nightmare with four pieces of coursework being set at the same time! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review; I'd love to hear from you. **

Holding the small baby close to her chest, she smiled as she stood in the empty elevator alone with her son. Rick was at a meeting with a furious Gina and Alexis was at school so she'd decided to introduce her baby to the world she lived in. Looking down at her son, she smiled as she pressed a small kiss against his head before the doors opened and she stepped out; knowing no one was expecting to see her. Watching the detectives work without even noticing her, she smiled as she rocked her son gently and heard the familiar sound of Ryan and Esposito debating from the break room where the door was slightly open.

"When do you think she'll come back?" Ryan asked as Kate moved closer to the door; glad that Chris was being quiet at that particular moment. "I mean, will she come back? She's just had a baby, do you think she'll want to spend more time with Chris now?" the detective asked as Kate smiled and tapped the door with her foot; unable to knock on the door because her hands were busy holding her son close to her body. Watching as Ryan and Esposito both turned, she smiled as she entered the break room and stared at her partners.

"So Ryan do you want to ask me some questions?" she asked, sitting herself down on of the chairs as she moved Chris so they were both comfortable. "Okay, let me tell you both honestly that I don't know what I'm going to do right now. I know that I'm not going to come back at least until he's a bit older" she explained, both men nodding as they sat down as well. "But Rick doesn't really work away from home so I'll probably come back to work when Chris is around a year old and Rick can look after him" she explained, both men nodding silently before they heard a familiar voice.

"Where are Ryan and Esposito?" Roy Montgomery asked from outside the room, the quick reply from one detective bringing the captain into the break room. "Beckett, what are you doing here?" he asked, noticing the woman who was relaxing in the chair with the small baby in her arms. "And why is this the first time that I'm meeting this one?" he asked, Kate laughing as she stood up and walked over to her captain with her son in her arms.

"Roy Montgomery this is Christopher" she smiled, allowing her boss to take her son into his arms as she smiled and turned to look at Ryan and Esposito. "We're having a dinner tonight if you'd like to come" she admitted to everyone in the room. "It's not going to be amazing, probably some form of takeout" she added, all three men nodding as Chris began to cry in Montgomery's arms.

"You better take this one Beckett" Roy laughed, Kate nodding before she quickly took her son into her arms and began to rock him gently; singing to him gently as the three men watched her in amazement. This woman had got confessions out of murderers just by talking to them and here she was singing to her child with the largest smile on her face. "He's lovely Beckett, congratulations" the older man explained before the brunette nodded and pressed a kiss to her son's head as he began to calm down. "I'll defiantly be there tonight" he explained before walking out of the room, Kate laughing before she turned to look at the two men who were watching her.

"I can't quite believe you're a mom Beckett" Esposito laughed, Kate's eyes rolling before the man held his arms out and Kate allowed him to take Chris into his arms. "He's so little" he admitted, Kate's eyes rolling before she moved towards the door. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked quickly.

"I need to go and get some things from my desk, you'll be fine watching him for a moment" she explained before slipping out of the room and approaching her desk.

"You must be Detective Beckett" a voice said behind her, her smile growing as she turned to see Rick standing behind her. "I've heard a lot about you" he admitted, her eyes rolling as she moved closer to him and felt his arms wrap around her. "Does your husband know you're here?" he asked.

"I snuck out of the house for the afternoon" she giggled, leaning up to kiss him lightly as the writer beamed and tighten his hold of her. "I don't know what he'd say about me kissing strange men" she giggled as the writer shrugged.

"Lucky that I love you" he explained, kissing her lightly again before he heard crying. "Have you left our son with Ryan and Esposito?" he asked quickly, Kate shrugging as he kept her close and stared at her. "Gina's still trying to get me to go on tour; I might have to say yes at some point just to get her to leave us alone" he explained, the brunette nodding before she sighed and rested her head against his chest.

"I don't want you to go away Rick. We need you here" she admitted, looking back across to see Ryan now holding Chris in the break room. "I need you here for me; you always get up during the night and bring Chris into me and you make sure I eat every meal of the day" she explained, the writer running his hands to her cheeks as he stared at her.

"Katie, I haven't said yes and I'm not going anywhere at least not until Chris is a bit older and you don't need me around as much" he explained, leaning in to kiss her slowly.

"Beckett, your sons screaming" Esposito called out, Kate groaning a she nodded and walked into the break room to find Ryan looking stressed with a screaming Chris in his arms. Taking him into her grip again, she slowly carried him out as Rick joined her and ran a finger down his son's cheek.

"Let's get this one home" he sighed, Kate nodding before she approached the lift with her son and husband; knowing that she had everything she wanted in her life.

XOXXOOXOXOXO

"Girl it's been ages" Lanie squealed as she entered the apartment and hugged the brunette, Kate's eyes rolling as she moved away from the ME and watched as the smaller woman entered the apartment and approached where Chris was asleep. "Kate he looks more and more like you every time I see him" the woman admitted, Kate shrugging as she heard the show stop upstairs.

"You're early for once" Kate admitted in shock, knowing that everyone else wasn't supposed to arrive for another half an hour. "So you think he looks like me?" she asked quickly, the ME nodding as they both stared down at the small child.

"He's got your eyes" Lanie admitted. "But he's all Castle as well, he's a beautiful little baby Kate. I knew this baby would be gorgeous but he's a stunner" she explained, the detective nodding before she leant down and pressed a kiss to her son's forehead. Hearing footsteps, both women looked up to see the writer standing in the doorway dressed in his boxers and a t-shirt; his hands running a towel through his hair. "Nice to see you Castle" Lanie laughed, the writer staring at her in confusion before he looked at his wife.

"She's early" Kate admitted, Rick nodding before he walked over and found his jeans on the pile that he was supposed to take into their room earlier. "I'm thinking Chinese tonight, what do you think?" she asked, both Rick and Lanie nodding before the writer pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her close for a moment.

"You two are so perfect for each other" Lanie sighed, gaining both their attentions before she shrugged and sat down on the couch; Kate laughing before she kissed the writer gently and felt her fingers lacing with his. Hearing a knock at the door, Kate sighed as she looked up at her husband. "You might want to put some jeans on Castle, the guys don't want to be looking at you like that" Lanie sighed, the writer nodding before he quickly took the jeans into his bedroom. Hearing the door open, Lanie turned as Esposito, Ryan and Montgomery entered the apartment. "Evening" the ME greeted.

"Hi" Esposito smiled, Kate watching the interaction between the detective and ME in amusement before she shut the door and heard Rick join them. "So what's for dinner? I'm starving" he explained, Lanie's eyes rolling as Kate kept her eyes on the writer who was now holding their son in his arms in amusement.

"I love you" he mouthed at her, a smile covering her face as she blushed and heard Ryan and Esposito laughing over something; Kate's eyes looking across to find Lanie still staring at one particular detective.


End file.
